Self-affirmation
My new video "Self-affirmation" on Instagram >>
Self-affirmation put most simply, is the act of improving one's self confidence and internal worth and value. Our personal confidence can be tested in a variety of ways as we go through life; in our personal relationships, careers, the way we look, and much more. Everyone's self worth tolerance is different, and is very often shaped by experiences, both positive and negative, our personalities, and even things out of our control like hormones (I am talking to you ladies…!) Your personal tolerance level doesn’t matter, but to practice self affirmation can help with your confidence and consequently how you deal with challenges moving forward.
Research has shown that self affirmation can have positive performance benefits for human beings. A study, “The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention” >> conducted by Geoffrey L. Cohen and David K. Sherman concludes that timely self affirmation interventions can have lasting improvement on education, health, and relationships. Ultimately self affirmation can create a positive feedback loop between the self-system and social system which helps us adapt to different circumstances over time.
Self affirmation should be very personal to you. You should reflect and ask yourself what is important to you, and focus your affirmations on those key indicators. Some common self affirmations, and ones I personally like are:
- I am successful, worthy and strong.
- I am getting healthier every day.
- I wake up motivated.
- I have made mistakes, but they will not define me.
- Happiness is a choice and today I choose to be happy.
The best practice is to say these out loud, or write them down (or a combination of both) repeatedly over and over again - preferably in the morning because it sets a positive tone for the day. These affirmations when repeated constantly and consistently become your personal mantra. I find it better to tailor these affirmations to you personally, because if they are too generic and without focus or relatability, it can lead to doubt and self judgement. These are also not set in stone, they can evolve and you could add new ones or substitute one phrase for another.
Self affirmation like anything is not an easy fix from one day to the, and ultimately might not work for everyone. However, to have a chance to work it takes a lot of repetitions and practice, and at a minimum it should at least counteract any negative thoughts that you are experiencing day-to-day. Regardless of whether self affirmation is something you will do, a general good attitude to take into every day is to: Improve Yourself. Focus on You & Put Yourself first.
Give it a try! I look forward to hearing your personal stories :)
JG x