Affirmations Can Be Effective
Affirmations have been proven to be very effective as shown by studies such as the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience where it states that participants who maintained self-affirmation were “motivated to maintain a positive self-view, … restore self-competence, … showed increased activity in key regions of the brain’s self-processing … [and had] changes in sedentary behavior.” It is important to note that this study includes other self-affirmation interventions such as reflection on values and self-care practices (also critical for personal improvement).
Affirmations Can Be Harmful
For the sake of this blog, we will focus on affirmation statements spoken to oneself for the sake of growth and achievement, typically referred to simply as affirmations.
Cognitive dissonance can develop if your beliefs or perceptions are contrary to the affirmation statement. You may feel vague discomfort, anxiety, or even anger while you declare your affirmations if you don’t really believe what you are claiming, leaving you to feel torn in contradiction.
Statements like “I am successful!” or “I am confident!” can create an inner clash, strengthening self-doubt instead of alleviating it because of the gap between your current state and your desired state. For example, if you struggle with finances but declare, “I am wealthy!” it will likely make you feel worse about your current money troubles.
Use Effective Wording
Eliminating the conundrum of cognitive dissonance is two-fold.
1) Identifying what the underlying negative belief is and doing the work to correct it.
2) Rewording affirmations to resonate with what you actually believe or at least know to be true intellectually.
For example, if you have a poor body image, rather than standing in front of a mirror declaring you are a beauty queen, find something about your appearance that you like or have neutral feelings about. I once had a client who decided she had an “okay forehead” and that is where she began. Maybe you like your hair, teeth, or hands … start with what feels true to you. If you choose to stop focusing on what you don’t like, you will eventually be able to add more positive affirmations that are also true to you.
In the case of the earlier example on wealth, you can connect statements to your core values to make them feel authentic. Changing “I am wealthy!” to “I value financial freedom and choose will look for income opportunities!” will be more motivating and inspiring.
It’s okay to use statements that you know in your head to be true, but you doubt because of trauma or past experiences. Saying, “I am valuable and loved!” may not feel true but you know that you have value because you exist and that God loves you, therefore hearing it every day will move it into your core beliefs.
Take Action Steps
Affirmations can shift your mindset toward growth, but at some point, action must be taken if you want to achieve your goals. If more confidence is your goal, you will also learn techniques to feel and appear more confident, such as posture, eye contact, and clothing. Eventually, you will take opportunities to express confidence such as running a meeting or calling a client.
Whether your affirmations are centered around body image, a niche career, or abundance, it is imperative that you couple your words with knowledge and stretching. But don’t worry, baby steps and tiny habits are highly recommended. Taking a year or more to overcome something is better than never overcoming it at all. I recently heard someone say, “I’ll be sixty-five years old by the time I finish my degree!” My question to her was, “How old will you be if you don’t finish your degree?”
Make Affirmations Affirmative
Whatever statements you develop should be in the affirmative. Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Stay realistic and try to use as many positive words as possible.
Instead of “I’m not afraid of public speaking” try “I have a message that will help others” or “I will look for ways to practice speaking” or “I want to do hard things!”
Instead of “I don’t want to smoke” try “I want to be a non-smoker.”
Instead of “I will stop overeating” try “I want to be healthy” or “I want to eat less.”
Instead of “I am not a failure” try “I can succeed and will learn from mistakes.”
Declare Affirmations with Conviction
The fastest and most effective way to embed something into our subconscious is to couple it with emotion. Without attaching emotions, affirmations may lack the effectiveness to make an impact.
Think about how young children learn. The fact that a four-year-old can remember 26 abstract letters, and in order no less, is nothing short of a miracle! But in a day or two it is seared in their mind forever with a simple song. Music makes learning fun, and it’s the emotion that presses into the nervous system.
This is true on the negative side as well. If you are old enough to remember events like nine-eleven, or if you’ve been attacked or even insulted, the memory of that moment is embedded in your mind.
So, if your brain is hearing a boring, “blah, blah, blah” when you recite affirmations, it will not make the necessary neural connections to your subconscious and will not effect the change you want.
Stay the Course
Affirmation statements can be a tool to use anytime you are feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, or insecure. To do this, you will want to memorize them, so they are accessible no matter where you are. This will help improve brain function as well as imbedding the truth into your nervous system faster.
You may feel inclined to abandon affirmations altogether if you don’t experience immediate change. Inconsistency stunts the process of creating and maintaining positive shifts and that transformation is usually subtle and occurs over time. Remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint!
Affirm What is True About Yourself: Sample affirmations for a positive self-view
- I appreciate my body for all it does for me.
- I am worthy of love, joy and belonging.
- I have strength and wisdom.
- I am just as important as others.
- My worth is not defined by others.
- I have many great abilities.
- I have potential to achieve greatness.
- I am the driver of my life.
- I have accomplished many things.
- I am growing into the best version of myself.
