Positive confidence affirmations can start remodeling your subconscious in just a few minutes a day. Have you ever noticed your self-talk? Is it building your confidence up or destroying it?
Most people have negative self-talk, whether they’re aware of it or not. It only reinforces the negative image they already have of themselves.
Harsh self-criticism is also associated with self-sabotage – the behavior that aims to keep us into the negative box we’ve put ourselves in.
What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations are positive statements that can substitute the loop of pessimistic thoughts and negative self-talk. They are used to reprogram the subconscious mind.
Affirmations are in the present tense, in a positive form – no NOs and CAN’Ts. It is also recommended to avoid words that have a negation within them (like INvaluable, UNlimited) or words that have a negative charge (such as fight, damage).
What is the difference between self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem?
These terms are closely connected and they seem to have the same root cause. This is why self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem are often mixed up.
To put things simply:
Low self-confidence = I can’t
Low self-worth = I don’t deserve
Low self-esteem = I’m not good enough
This is where positive confidence affirmations come into play – to help us release these limiting beliefs we’ve held onto for years. And then introduce new beliefs that serve us better.
What is the science behind affirmations? How can positive affirmations boost your self-confidence?
MRI scans have demonstrated that self-affirmations activate a region of the brain associated with self-perception, self-confidence and rewards processing (Falk et al., 2015; Cascio et al., 2016).
Increased activity in that same brain area, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), also relates to imagining positive future outcomes (D’Argembeau et al., 2008). This can improve goal planning and emotional well-being.
In addition, positive affirmations help people become more receptive to the information they would otherwise perceive as threatening. For example, smokers were more likely to consider the cigarette packet warning. (Harris et al., 2007).
If you are curious to learn more about the science behind positive affirmations, you can review this journal article titled ‘Positive Affirmations and its Benefits on Psychological Well-Being’.
How to practice confidence affirmations?
Identify negative beliefs and patterns
You may already be aware of the talk you have with yourself. If you’re not sure what it’s like – put a piece of paper and a pen in a visible place and make an intention to take note of your thoughts. Take notes without judgment and review them once you get a decent amount.
You may notice some patterns or even realize your self-talk has a negative charge you weren’t expecting. Does your self-talk reveal your self-confidence, self-worth, self-esteem, or all three?
Choose the right affirmations
Based on the negative beliefs and patterns you discover, you will need to select or craft affirmations that tackle them.
If you find yourself thinking ‘I can’t do anything right’ a good affirmation for you would be a simple ‘I can’ or ‘I can do anything I set my mind to’. Whatever happens, to be your negative self-talk, you will counteract and reprogram it with a positive affirmation.
Choose three to six affirmations based on your self-study. You can explore the list of affirmations below and see what sounds right, what is a sentence you need to hear. Alternatively, you can come up with your affirmations using the method from the FAQ in this article.
When you’ve made your list – read the affirmations out loud. Do you feel resistance to any of these statements? Do you feel something about them is not true?
For someone who has very low self-worth, it can feel false to say ‘I deserve to be happy.’ However, whether you feel like it or not – it is true. The affirmations below are all universal truths. You are valuable. You are enough. Your feelings and need are important. So even if you’re feeling some resistance, allow the affirmations to work their magic.
Be consistent in your affirmations practice
Affirmations do work but they don’t work in a day. You need to build a solid, consistent practice to see some results.
Start with saying your affirmations while looking at yourself in the mirror. It’s odd only the first few times!
Look yourself in the eye and put trust and emotion in every single affirmation. The more you believe in these statements, the better they will work.
Repeat your affirmations twice a day – morning and evening. You can stack your affirmation habit to another habit you already have so you make sure to remember it. For example, you can say your affirmations when you go to brush your teeth.
It is best to stick to the same affirmations until you start noticing some changes in your self-talk. Breaking patterns you’ve mindlessly followed for years takes a lot of time and awareness. If you switch your affirmations often, you will not be able to reprogram the specific beliefs you’ve identified.
Introduce affirmations in your daily rituals
Your positive confidence affirmations can be a ritual in and of themselves. You can also introduce them to some of your other self-care practices to work deeper with your negative beliefs about yourself.
Use your positive affirmations as journal prompts if you enjoy writing. This can be wonderful for self-discovery to understand where a belief stems from, why you might feel resistance to a positive statement, and what implications holding on to this belief has on your life.
Positive affirmations can also become your mantra for meditation. You can pick one affirmation and repeat it to yourself while sitting with your eyes closed, keeping awareness of your breath. If you like to sing, you can repeatedly sing this affirmation the way Sanskrit mantras are often used for meditation. If you are familiar with the practice of Yoga Nidra, your affirmation can become your Sankalpa, your intention.
My personal experience with positive affirmations
When my therapist suggested I try repeating my affirmations twice a day in front of the mirror I was not ecstatic about it. I had heard of affirmations and the science behind them long ago, but it all seemed a bit too cheesy for my taste.
I went a week without doing a single attempt. Then, I thought I needed to at least give it a try. What was I going to say in my next session? ‘You gave me these lame affirmations but I know better than wasting time on them.’ After all, if I was not willing to try anything new, why was I wasting my time on a therapist?
In the second week, I did my affirmations twice a day and put emotion into every statement. On the second day, I felt a sudden, inexplicable joy during my daily walk in the park. I couldn’t attribute the lovely feeling and excitement about life to anything other than my affirmations. During that week I also found myself more patient in situations that normally triggered my anger.
Top 30 affirmations for self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem
1. I am valuable.
2. I am capable.
3. I am enough.
4. I am complete.
5. I am confident.
6. I recognize the power within me.
7. I am in control of my life.
8. I can handle any challenge.
9. My unique skills and abilities are needed.
10. My life is purposeful.
11. My life is a miracle.
12. I am allowed to make mistakes.
13. My feelings and needs are important.
14. My opinions matter.
15. I am heard.
16. I am seen.
17. I am responsible for my happiness.
18. I can.
19. I deserve to be paid well.
20. Everything I desire is within my reach.
21. I deserve the good in my life.
22. I am beautiful from the inside out.
23. I have a clear vision for my growth.
24. I am consistent in my efforts.
25. I am allowed to be successful.
26. I am understood and supported.
27. My life is full of abundance.
28. Every day I am building the life of my dreams.
29. I am intuitively guided.
30. I can safely let go of control.
31. I have the freedom to choose.
32. I trust my decisions.
33. I only need validation from myself.
34. I feel confident in my body.
35. I am authentic.
36. My energy is magnetic to others.
37. I am inspiring.
FAQ about positive confidence affirmations
Do positive affirmations increase self-esteem?
They do, especially if you have chosen the right affirmations for your needs. Identify what negative beliefs you hold about yourself. Low self-esteem often manifests through thoughts like ‘I am not good at this’ or ‘I am not good enough for that’. Choose a positive affirmation that is the antidote to these limiting beliefs.
How can I build my self-esteem and confidence?
You can start by introducing positive confidence affirmations that counteract the negative beliefs you have about yourself. To go a step further, you need to challenge yourself in areas where you feel unconfident. Start with small challenges that will gradually allow you to build up your confidence.
How do you write powerful affirmations?
- Choose one limiting belief about yourself you would like to let go of.
- Write a short affirmation debunking that limiting belief. Three to six words is enough. The shorter, the more memorable it would be.
- Start your sentence with ‘I’ or ‘My’.
- Use the present tense as if you are affirming something that is already a fact. Stay away from phrases such as ‘I want’ and ‘I need’ that are directed towards the future.
- Always use the positive form. This means your affirmations shouldn’t have ‘no’, ‘can’t’, ‘don’t’. Also, try to find a synonym for words that have a negation within them. Instead of saying ‘I am undisturbed’ go for ‘I am calm’.
- Test your affirmations. Stand in front of the mirror and say the affirmations to yourself. Do you feel any resistance towards them? Do they sound too far off to be believable? Adjust them accordingly so that you can say them with trust and determination. The emotion you put into affirmations is what truly makes them powerful.
Do you need to say affirmations out loud?
No. Saying affirmations out loud in front of the mirror is an effective practice. Yet you can also write your affirmations as a daily ritual, or use them as journal prompts. Another idea is to repeat affirmations in your mind or turn them into mantras for meditation.
How do you use affirmations to manifest?
To manifest through affirmations, pick phrases that affirm the things you desire as if they’ve already come true. If you want to be more healthy you can affirm ‘I am healthy’ while looking at yourself in the mirror. Trust your words and the process, and supercharge every repetition with positive emotions.
What are sleep affirmations?
Sleep affirmations, also known as bedtime affirmations, are positive statements you say to yourself right before sleep. It is believed that at this time of the day affirmations are more likely to enter the subconscious and rewrite negative beliefs we have about ourselves.
