Why positive affirmations work

When you do, believe in it. Always repeat the affirmation for minutes. Do not hurry through it. Feel what you are saying. Keep practicing affirmations till the time you have achieved your goals, there is no designated time to stop doing affirmations. Repeating positive affirmations regularly can change your outlook towards life, says a psychologist.

Share Via. By Parmita Uniyal. Here are tips to keep in mind while practicing affirmations by Mishra: 1. For better results practice affirmations in front of the mirror. Topics mental health positivity.

Get our Daily News Capsule Subscribe. When public, the treatments appeared to set up social criteria for improved performance. Although the affirmations were not the direct mechanism leading to improved performance, they were a secondary mechanism leading to social pressure that can improve performance.

Building on the results of the previously cited child study, I found another study that might offer further insight into how affirmations may work in relation to social pressure. The researchers found that affirmations focused on your existing values can lead to increased acceptance of positive health information and change in healthy behaviors:.

Beyond the social pressure, the study also shows how people strive to remain consistent with their own values and self-definitions. In a counseling setting, this is perhaps the closest I come to using affirmations. Having someone clearly state their values is helpful by giving them a sense of direction, in addition to increasing motivation for change. In a study titled, The Effects of Overt Head Movements on Physical Performance After Positive Versus Negative Self-Talk , the researchers found that combining positive affirmations with head-nodding improved performance among athletes:.

Recall the studies cited at the beginning of this article. They can be effective for persons with higher self-esteem and persons whose needs are already met. Therefore, positive affirmations may work for athletes since they are likely already high performing.

Another study looked at the effect of affirmations on children with negative beliefs regarding their math abilities. The study concluded:. By internally asserting that they will deliver effort, children with negative competence beliefs can optimize their achievement in school.

Rather than affirming a false reality, it is far more effective to affirm the fact that you will give the task your best effort. Although affirmations can work, they only seem to work in particular situations. Persons suffering from addiction are often using a substance or behavior to cope with underlying pain or unmet needs. As seen in the literature, using positive affirmations to cope with these underlying issues often backfires.

Instead of using affirmations, there is a better way to deal with difficult thoughts and painful emotions. If affirmations have not been working for you, it might be helpful to consider trying a strategy called acceptance and defusion. Acceptance and defusion techniques come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ACT , a therapeutic approach supported by over clinical trials.

As described in my previous article on How to Stop Living in Your Head , you can use the following to more effectively cope with unhelpful forms of worry:. Take a look at the full article if you are interested in exploring each of these areas in-depth, in addition to learning some practical exercises designed to gain a healthy perspective. In fact, affirmations can often make the situation worse by reminding an individual they are not living up to the affirmation.

Affirmations can work to improve mood and performance among individuals who are already high functioning, such as athletes. Specific types of affirmations can also work, including affirming your existing values or affirming the fact that you will give your best effort.

If you find yourself using substances or behaviours to cope with underlying issues, you may getting short-term relief at a long-term cost. Counselling can help remove mental barriers to moving forward, allowing you to break free from addictive habits so you can gain a sense of control, clarity, confidence, and start living the life you want.

They often feel judged, unheard, or feel the person trying to help them has an agenda. My approach is highly person-centered, meaning I collaborate with clients to create a plan that works for their unique situation. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addiction recovery. Reaching out for support can be difficult.

Luckily, long-term change is quite common, with the right support. I am also unable to accept insurance coverage outside of Canada. If you are struggling with other mental health issues or are looking for a specialist near you, use the Psychology Today therapist directory here to find a practitioner who specializes in your area of concern. If you require a lower-cost option, you can check out BetterHelp.

It is one of the most flexible forms of online counseling. Their main benefit is lower costs, high accessibility through their mobile app, and the ability to switch counselors quickly and easily, until you find the right fit. For persons struggling with anxious thoughts, depressed moods, low self-esteem, low motivation, or loneliness, check out Better Help here.

Click here to learn more about their program based on the evidence-based practice of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy CBT. As always, it is important to be critical when seeking help, since the quality of counselors are not consistent.

In a nutshell, thoughts influence feelings, and feelings influence behaviour. Think: applying less effort, procrastinating, self-sabotaging, and so on. Actually, science co-signs the power of positive affirmations in certain instances.

However, those with low self-esteem actually showed a decrease in their mood and self-esteem as a result of the same task. This suggests that whilst affirmations generally work well for anybody who feels relatively positive about themselves, somewhat unfairly, the very people who could, in theory, benefit most from a self-esteem boost are also most at risk of positive affirmations backfiring.

Positive affirmations can also, in some instances, bring our personal pain points into sharper focus, forcing us to wrack our brains for instances that prove the affirmation untrue.

When it comes to practicing positive affirmations, you make your own rules. That said, experts recommend setting the scene to get yourself in the right frame of mind. This means you get into the habit of adjusting your mindset at regular points during the day.

She advises speaking positive affirmations in front of a mirror, whilst making eye contact with yourself. A smile helps the brain accept the affirmation without trying to challenge it so much. The magic happens, according to Burgess, when you can successfully convince yourself that your positive affirmations are current — or soon-to-be — truths.

A post shared by The Break Up Healer breakuphealer. If you want your positive affirmations to have any hope of working, though, the key is consistency.