Use affirmations to restore and reinforce your self-confidence - Here’s how
If you find yourself feeling low in confidence or spiralling due to anxiety and negative thoughts, you could benefit from trying affirmations. Affirmations are a way to interrupt your thought cycle and restore a sense of confidence and inner power.
To create positive change in your life, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities. To borrow from Beyonce, from now on you’re going to be your own best friend.
What are affirmations and how can they help?
Self-affirmation is the process of reflecting on your values, actions and attributes. Through affirmations, you can restore and reinforce a sense of who you are and what you stand for. They can also be used as a tool to defend your sense of identity against outside threats or repair damage that’s already been done.
If you find yourself struggling with anxiety or mental health issues, affirmations can help to interrupt the cycle of negative thoughts. It can also help to improve your response to stressful situations and help you to shift to healthier habits and behaviours. When you take control of your thoughts, you can shape your outlook on life.
A popular form of affirmations are “I am” statements. “I am” statements are a simple way to start with affirmations if you’ve not tried them before. It involves using empowering statements about yourself and your abilities to build up your confidence and sense of power.
Affirmations to restore your self-confidence
You can use daily affirmations to bring about positive change. Try repeating them to yourself in the morning when you wake up or during stressful periods of your day. You can also use affirmations during meditation, including as part of a yoga practice.
Here are 15 affirmations you can use to help restore your self-confidence and positive sense of identity from Dr. Nadira Jack, a professor at New Jersey City University and author of the book, ‘The Pedagogy of Consciousness’.
- I accept myself as I am
- I am whole and complete
- I am a queen (or king)
- I am excellence
- I am freedom
- I have high expectations for my life
- I trust myself
- I value myself
- I am proud of myself
- I have all I need within me
- I am thankful
- I have purpose
- I am courageous
- I can conquer my fears
- I believe in myself
These affirmations are targeted at improving your sense of self-value and self-worth. You can also choose other affirmations that work for you or try writing your own affirmations.
Making affirmations part of your routine
The first time you start using affirmations, you might feel strange or unsure. You might even be embarrassed to say them out loud. But over time, with repetition, you can shift your mindset until believing in yourself, valuing yourself and trusting yourself becomes a habit. You have the ability to restore and reinforce your self-confidence.
