“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” – Aibilene Clark
Negative thinking can take over and right now with seasonal depression setting in, adding to school and work stress, many of us just need to take a step back to bring positivity into our lives. Trying to achieve a goal with a negative attitude is not going to give you the outcome you want. Switching to positive thinking will enhance everything you put your mind to.
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements to help you challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thinking. By repeating affirmations daily, and believing them, you can start to make positive changes in your life.
According to researchers, taking just a few minutes out of each day to remind yourself of your best qualities before a big meeting or presentation can calm your nerves, increase your confidence, and improve your chance of a successful outcome.
How to use affirmations
The power of affirmations comes from repeating them to yourself daily. Whether you write them on sticky notes to hang around your room or have notifications on your phone, seeing what you want will help to make it a reality.
Affirmations can be used in many different ways, depending on how you want to see a positive change in your life. These changes may be when you want to…
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Increase your confidence before a presentation or meeting.
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Improve your self-esteem.
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Get motivated to finish a project you started.
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Control negative feelings.
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Overcome a bad habit.
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Improve your productivity.
Writing affirmations for your life
Affirmations should be personal to you. The following points can help you write affirmations that benefit you…
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Think about areas in your life you want to change. Write down areas or behaviors you want to work on. Connecting them to your core values and beliefs will make you motivated to achieve them.
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Make your affirmation achievable. Base it on realistic facts. Keep it feasible. Affirmations aren’t magic spells, but with the right mindset, you can make these goals work.
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Turn negatives into positives. If you find yourself struggling with negative thoughts, note those thoughts and beliefs. Then choose an affirmation that is opposite of those thoughts and beliefs.
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Write your affirmations in the present tense. Write and speak your affirmations like they are already happening. This will help you believe that these things are true right now.
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Say it like you mean it! Affirmations are more effective when you can emotionally relate to them. You have to want this change, so put your heart into everything you are telling yourself
Finding time to stop and say affirmations during the day is important. We live in a society where everything is go, go, go and if we push ourselves too hard we eventually burn out. If we can’t find time to just stop and think then what are we doing?
*There is evidence that the higher your self-esteem, the more effective affirmations can be. On the other hand, research found that if you have low-self esteem, positive affirmations could make you feel worse.