Words are extremely important in our lives. If we know how to use them, we can fight stress, achieve our dreams, and improve mental well-being.

Why & How to Use Affirmations

Affirmations are an important aspect of self-love and self-care. Knowing what to say to ourselves, how to appreciate, empower ourselves, be self-compassionate and choosing the right way of finding motivation are vital aspects if we want to have a healthy relationship with ourselves. 

This is why you should read below and learn more about the best affirmations, how to use them, what to do if they are not effective, and why to try online therapy.

What Are Affirmations, and Where Are They Used?

You have probably told yourself many times encouraging sentences, such as “I can do this” or “I will make it,” especially when you have to finish a challenging task. Affirmations are simple sentences that will help you focus on your possibility of succeeding by using or highlighting your abilities and strengths. 

Powerful affirmations can be used in different challenging situations or as a tool that helps us improve our daily mindset. Research has shown that when people genuinely believe in something, they will actually achieve it. This is what stands behind the placebo effect. 

Affirmations can be used in any situation to boost your confidence and help you achieve success. 

Benefits of Affirmations

Affirmations are a kind of self-help tool. There are numerous benefits of using daily affirmations, including:

• Encourage yourself to decrease your stress when you go through a difficult situation
• Help become more confident and optimistic, so you enjoy mental well-being
• Reduce or even eliminate negative thoughts
• You can use them with your strengths to improve your self-esteem
• They can help you change negative behavior patterns and reduce the negative impact of stressful events
• Using relationship affirmations can help you have a harmonious, healthy relationship with your significant other while avoiding arguments and negativity. 

What Are Effective Affirmations, and How to Use Them?

Do affirmations work? Yes, but this strategy depends on your approach, your values, practice, and motivation. There are different aspects you need to consider when you use affirmations. 

“I am” affirmations

This type of sentence is known as identity statements, the strongest type of affirmations to help you achieve your goals. 

For example, you can use “I am” affirmations to make changes in your life, such as being more active or eating healthy meals. 

Use emotions

Your affirmations should contain emotion-related words to make them effective. For instance, instead of saying, “I am an active person,” you may say, “I love being an active person because it makes me happy and relaxed.” 

Without emotions, the affirmation sentences might sound like a task that you need to do rather than an affirmation that will keep you motivated. 

Affirmations should be in the Present Tense and free of negations

You should avoid stating negative aspects, such as “I will not eat fast food.” Instead, your affirmations should always be in the present tense and positive. For example, in this case, you could say that “I love how I feel when I eat healthy meals that include lots of veggies and fruits.”

Think about what you want to achieve

There are so many sources of motivational quotes online. If you read an affirmation that has a deep meaning for you, you can use it in your strategy. However, it’s best to customize each sentence to resonate with your personality, mind, and core values. Tailor these sentences to your goals. 

The best way of doing this is by writing affirmations that you want to tell yourself. Consider self-love and self-compassion affirmations that you can say to yourself daily and help you achieve your dreams. 

You can also use this method to counteract situations that do not make you feel too well. For instance, if you are not happy with your new job because of your boss, you can remind yourself about the good parts: “I love my job because it is financially and emotionally rewarding. My co-workers are very supportive, and I love making a difference through my work”. 

Practice every day and keep it real

Most people fail with this strategy because they do not really believe what they say. For instance, stating that “I love myself every day” may not be realistic. It is normal when we feel down or disappointed sometimes. Instead, you can use “I treat myself with kindness and forgiveness each day.”

If you do not believe in your affirmation or do not think it is true, self-change may stall. You need to set realistic goals for what you want to achieve. For instance, instead of saying to yourself that “I am getting fitter each day” or “I am losing weight”, you can switch to a more neutral statement. 

You may even use a gratitude affirmation, such as “I am happy with what my body achieves each day and I stay in good health by exercising daily and eating nutritious meals.”

Even if you do everything correctly, change will only happen with practice. It is not sufficient to use these affirmations once. Most people start with 2-3 minutes per day, repeating each positive affirmation 10 times. If you create a consistent routine while remaining patient, you will notice significant changes. Do not skip days, focus on each word as you say it, and even ask one of your loved ones for help to boost your confidence. 

List of Positive Affirmations

You can use positive affirmations for self-change, such as changing destructive behavior (i.e., smoking) or encouraging yourself to take up healthier ones related to exercising or having a healthy diet. 

Here is a list of affirmations you can personalize to reflect your goals:

1. I love being healthy, and I make healthy choices. 
2. I am a generous and compassionate person.  
3. I am stronger than negative thoughts, and I believe I can eliminate them. 
4. I decide and control how I feel and what I can achieve. 
5. I am kind and generous to myself each day. 
6. I accept my choices, and I love myself. 
7. I am resilient, strong, and I can achieve my dreams. 
8. I am able to look after and take care of myself. 
9. My dreams are as important as others’. 
10. I surround myself only with generous, kind, and supportive people. 
11. I can make a positive impact through my work or contribution. 
12. I can easily recover and learn from my mistakes if I fail. 
13. I believe in my ability to make my dreams come true. 
14. I choose to trust my instincts and myself. 
15. I forgive other people’s mistakes, and I treat myself the same. 
16. I am good enough, and I am happy with just being me. 
17. I am working every day to be the best version of myself. 
18. I treat others with respect and forgiveness, and they treat me the same. 
19. I am capable of doing everything I want to do. 
20. I am a deserving, valuable, and important person. 

Affirmations Aren’t Always Effective, but Here’s a Solution

Affirmations might not work for everyone. Negative thoughts can heavily impact you, especially if you are going through difficult moments. 

An online therapist on Clamerry may help you identify what is holding you back and fueling your negative thoughts. They will also provide a personalized strategy that may include not only affirmations for self-esteem and positivity, but also other tools and coping skills that will help you achieve your objectives and lead a happy life.