Using Positive Affirmations To Improve Mental Health
Rooted in the field of positive psychology, affirmations are brief statements (or mantras) that are said aloud or thought to oneself on a regular basis. Affirmations can also be written down and put in various locations where they can been seen and be reminded of them. They are repeated multiple times on a daily basis.
Affirmations can improve mental health by helping shift to a more positive strength’s based mindset and reducing negativity, fear, doubt, and self-criticism. Affirmations can also help improve motivation, self esteem, confidence, and self identity.
Using affirmations to improve mental health comes from the concept that everyone has their own self-talk or “voice in their head”. This internal monologue is always present, even if someone is not always paying attention. Self-talk can be conscious thoughts, as well as unconscious beliefs. The messages we tell ourselves can be positive, but sometimes they are negative, especially if someone has had experiences with trauma and difficult relationships. Positive affirmations aim to increase the amount of time spent in loving and helpful self talk and viewing the self as worthy and happy.
Our inner monologue directly impacts how we think, feel and act, which in turn affects our physical and mental health. According to research, there are a multitude of positive effects on our health from using affirmations:
Improved self-control
Increase in positive health behaviors
Increased feelings of love
Improved academic achievement
Increased happiness and feelings of meaning in life
Reduced smartphone use
Reduced stereotyping towards minority group members
To begin your positive self affirmations practice, try the following steps recommended by our RI therapists:
First - Work through and let go of any awkwardness or silliness you may feel about talking out loud to yourself or leaving yourself little notes. Make a few funny faces in the mirror, use your voice a few times out loud, and then commit. Once you get over the weird feelings that can be inevitable when you begin this practice, you can truly engage and enjoy the benefits of positive affirmations!
Ask yourself what you need/want to tell yourself and do a little research on affirmations to see what jumps out at you. Google “positive affirmations” and you will finds lists galore of little helpful sayings. Pay close attention to what statements resonate with you, what sounds like it would be easy to say out loud, and also what seems like you would never want to say it (that reaction is interesting to explore too!).
Once you have found a few affirmations to you like, begin a written or digital master list that you can add to over time. You may just keep this list and say your affirmations out loud or you can use this list to leave yourself written affirmations in places you will see them. Post-its are great for this approach!
Saying affirmations out loud while looking in the mirror (with a smile) is probably the best way to do an affirmation justice. If that feels too bold, you can say them without looking in the mirror, out loud in a silly voice, in the car alone, or just silently in your mind. You can write them instead of saying them. You can set them up in your phone as an alert and be reminded that way. You can download an affirmations app. Try whatever works and feels natural at first, then ease up to the “most powerful and strongest” version of affirmations that suit you.
Once you’ve picked your affirmations and your approach, practice using them regularly. You can pick a set time of day (morning and night) or just anytime you can squeeze them in. The key is consistency - you will want to use your affirmations several times daily if possible.
If things still feel awkward, go back to step one and look again for brief statements that you truly believe in or that feel genuine. Ask someone you love and trust to share something they like about you, if you’re struggling with inspiration. Sometimes it can be very new and uncomfortable to say and believe positive things to the self - and the process can be slow - but SO worth doing!