What Are Positive Affirmations? A Primer on Self-Love

Positive affirmations can have a drastic and positive impact on your life if practiced enough. They don’t require any extra materials or work. All you have to do is believe in your ability to turn the negative aspects of your life around and have time to remind yourself of your abilities every day.

The key to great affirmations is turning the negative things you believe about yourself into positive statements that promote further growth. You don’t have to have a belief beyond that for daily affirmations to start working for you. In this way, you can conquer the negative thoughts that plague your mind by replacing them with uplifting ones.

The Benefits of Positive Affirmations

What are positive affirmations good for? Simply put, many things. They can help you eliminate negative self-talk, but they can aid you in other ways, too. Commit to learning and reciting positive affirmations to see changes in your daily life.

1. Targeted Goal Setting

You may consider writing your goals out as affirmations to better align yourself with them. For example, if you want to get promoted at work, something as simple yet specific as “I have the skills and abilities that will allow me to be promoted” can go a long way. Creating specific affirmations will help you outline and target your aspirations.

2. Higher Level of Compassion

You can foster a greater sense of self-love by practicing compassion with yourself. By building affirmations composed of words you’d say to motivate a friend, you’ll find that your understanding and love for yourself will grow with time.

3. Decreased Stress

By treating yourself with kindness and love, you remind yourself that your well-being comes first. Using affirmations to break down tasks, or even reminding yourself that you can handle any assignments that come your way, can improve your problem-solving skills. This can lead to less overall stress.

4. Improved Productivity

Affirmations can help you break down assignments or tasks and show you a reasonable path to success. You’ll find that the responsibility is more manageable when you create affirmations for each step to the finish line. Writing them down can make you more productive, too, especially if they’re in an area where you can keep an eye on them.

5. Self-Belief

By practicing affirmations, your brain will likely believe the words you’re speaking, even if you don’t yet. Over an 18-month period surveying women who subscribed to reciting daily affirmations, researchers noticed they showed less depressive and self-esteem issues over time. Holding onto that positivity will pay off in the long run, even if you can’t see it yet.

Examples of Positive Affirmations

What are positive affirmations like? The following are some of the most common ones you’ll find, but you’ll notice they’re very general. To reap the full benefits of reciting affirmations every day, you should tailor yours to your journey. Think of these examples as affirmation skeletons. It’s up to you to provide the meat of the belief that will work for you.

1. You Are Healthy

This affirmation can help people concerned about their health or immune system be more aware of how they treat their bodies. You can use it as a starting point to care more about your health and pay attention to how you’re nourishing yourself.

2. You Are a Skilled Professional

This affirmation reminds you that you should stay confident in your career goals. Your skills will propel you forward in your career, as you’re a hard worker who takes plenty of care in what they do. Wear your self-confidence proudly. You have the tools to get the job done.

3. You Will Accomplish Your Goals

Make sure this one is incredibly specific. By choosing and amplifying one goal, your brain will be more likely to pursue it. Recite this affirmation daily, and you’ll find yourself working harder toward your target, as it will be at the forefront of your mind.

4. You Are Active

This affirmation could be the perfect motivational tool for someone who struggles with getting up and going to the gym or completing a home workout. Even getting in 10,000 steps a day could seem doable with this affirmation. Every time you remind yourself you’re active or can finish a specific exercise, you increase your self-confidence and improve your likelihood of going to the gym.

5. You Are Loved

If you doubt your place in everyone’s lives, you should consider reciting this affirmation and tailoring it toward the people you love most. Reminding yourself how loved you are is essential, as it helps you feel less neglected, especially when others might be too busy to reaffirm you themselves.

What Are Positive Affirmations Like in Your Life?

Unfortunately, you won’t find an easy way to achieve your dream results. Everything requires a little work, so positive affirmations aren’t magic. That’s the beauty of them, though. You provide the power to influence your mind and body to do whatever you want.

Creating positive affirmations and tailoring them to your life is a reminder of where you’re lacking and targets areas that need your attention. They are a great starting point to loving yourself and feeling confident in your abilities while cultivating the life you want.