Positive affirmations are a technique that is often used to counter negativity, by repeating certain phrases over and over to yourself. This technique has been proven to be especially useful to those who suffer from anxiety, providing a go-to coping strategy for stressful situations.
Choosing a Positive Affirmation
When it comes to choosing the best positive affirmation for you, keep in mind that the phrase that you choose needs to be simple, in first person and in present tense, as well as an active statement. This will ensure that a healthy and productive state of mind is created. As long as they follow those guidelines, positive affirmations can be anything that you desire, and there are a number of common ones that you can either use yourself, or modify to suit you better.
Examples of Positive Affirmations
These are a few examples of positive affirmations that you can try:
- I have the courage to make this a great day.
- I love myself unconditionally.
- I am strong!
- My challenges bring me better opportunities.
- I am in control of my thoughts and my life.
- I am free of anxiety and continue to be so.
- This too shall pass and I can stand this.
While there is no problem with using one of these as your positive affirmation, you need to ensure that the affirmation you choose has a personal relevance to you, and really has some meaning behind it. Once you have chosen your three favorite affirmations, write them down somewhere where you can quickly access them, whether this may be on a piece of paper in your wallet or on your phone. Try to begin by saying each one out loud to yourself three times every morning when you wake up, as this habit is a great one for starting your day on a positive note.
How to Practice Positive Affirmations
To begin with, it is important to understand that if you really want your positive affirmations to work, then you need to be committed and dedicated to practicing them on a regular basis, preferably daily. Even if the affirmation that you have chosen does not seem believable to you at first, this will change with regular practice. Many find practicing positive affirmations quite difficult at the beginning, but, with commitment, they will soon become second nature to you.
Positive Affirmations and Anxiety
Positive affirmations help with anxiety in a few different ways. Firstly, they provide a positive distraction at a time when thoughts are running wild. By repeating your affirmations, your mind will be distracted from whatever has caused your anxiety, and will be focussing on a much more positive thought at the same time. Positive affirmations also serve as a constant reminder to yourself to be positive, and this is vital when it comes to treating anxiety.
As effective as positive affirmations are when it comes to reducing anxiety, they are a coping tool rather than a treatment, so you should not rely solely on this if you are looking to cure your anxiety. Positive affirmations work best when used to complement another type of anxiety reduction strategy, so be sure to speak to your doctor about this.
