Self-Affirmation
Positive self-affirmation can help us shift the way we think and feel about ourselves.
Sometimes it can feel like your brain has a mind of its own, and you can’t control the negative thoughts that keep popping up. When we use self-affirmation consistently, we can remind ourselves of what is true and what we like about ourselves, and challenge those other negative thoughts. Self-affirmations are positive statements that we truly believe about ourselves and use to remind ourselves of just how great we really are.
How do affirmations work?
By repeating positive things about ourselves, we eventually start to remember them naturally. This can help us to feel more positively about ourselves, and challenge negative thoughts when they do pop up. Here are some ways you can practice self-affirmation effectively:
Write them down. Make a list of your affirmations so you can remember them and repeat them. When you have your list, read it to yourself, either out loud or in your head.
Make time to repeat your affirmations each day. Put a few minutes aside each day to repeat your affirmations to yourself. Just like you would repeat exercises to work on your physical health, you can repeat exercises like affirmations to work on your mental health.
Believe in what you are saying. If you don’t believe in what you are telling yourself, saying it alone won’t change the way you think. You are reminding your brain of the things you already know and love about yourself, and why you are already great.
Keep them relevant. Affirmations are about appreciating yourself as you are now, so make sure your affirmations are about the here and now, not the past or future. Over time you might not need certain affirmations anymore, or you might need new ones, so change them up as you need to.
What affirmations should I use?
The affirmations you use should be things that you already believe about yourself. These can be basic, or super specific, depending on what kind of thoughts you want to be challenging, and what you want to be reminding yourself each day. Here are some examples of common affirmations people might use.
I am doing my best
I am kind
I am smart
I am funny
I am strong
I am important
I am proud of myself when I...
I love myself when I...
I have great taste in music
I am good at...
I work hard
I deserve to be treated kindly
I am a good friend
If you resonate with any of these, you can add them to your list of affirmations, or you can write your own more personal ones. Make sure your list of affirmations isn’t too long that you begin to forget some of them, it is okay to work on just a few affirmations at a time.
Want to learn more about affirmations? Check out these great links:
