Repeating positive affirmations is the practice of repeatedly telling yourself something positive. In The Oprah Magazine, everyone’s favourite positivity guru says that affirmations and positive language can help relieve stress, improve mental wellbeing and allow for more positive energy.

Affirmations aren’t just the preserve of ‘hippy’ types. In fact, there’s science that backs up the power of regular affirmations. Back in 1998, Claude Steel developed the self-affirmation theory. This was a key psychological theory that set in stone the idea that we could instil in ourselves a sense of worth by saying or affirming to ourselves, positive mantras.

This concept of good integrity means that by feeling good in one area of our lives, we’re more likely to feel good and more positive in other areas.

You may have already said an affirmation to yourself without realising it. How many times have you said to yourself something like “I can absolutely do this” when you’re feeling nervous about something? This inner dialogue is a positive affirmation!

But constantly repeating “I can’t do this” to yourself is negative and will become your dominant thought, which does nothing for self-belief or inner confidence. It may also become a self-fulfilling prophecy – making something, in this case a negative, come true because you predicted it would.

On the other hand, repeatedly telling yourself how good to are at your job or how liked you are can be very powerful for those of us with low self-esteem.

Just think about how long advertising jingles stay in your mind. OK, so they may be annoying at times, but they’re designed to stick in your head and influence your thought processes. So why couldn’t affirmations have the same effect? Besides, how can reminding yourself of your good points on a regular basis ever be anything other than a good thing? 

Unlike annoying jingles however, positive affirmations are short phrases, if a few words, that are easy to remember.  When repeated several times daily, they can help to promote positive thoughts, feelings and attitudes. 

If you’re keen to experience the power of positive self-affirmations, here’s 12, adapted from a longer list by self-improvement coach, Barrie Davenport, to get you started.

- My body was created to do amazing things
- I love my body and I take care of it with healthy eating and exercise
- I am strong and confident, and will continue to grow stronger and more confident
- I am beautiful and worthy of everything beautiful in this world
- I don’t judge other people; I only judge myself on whether I’m being the best person I can be
- I have what it takes to succeed
- I will remain positive today, regardless of hurdles that may come my way
- My best self is emerging every day
- I am patient with myself
- I am grateful for how far I’ve already come and will not be held back by how far I have to go
- I am a source of knowledge that people seek out when they need information or advice
- The timing will never be right, I am ready to act on my goals now

 

You’ve got this!