Did you know that the power of positive thinking can significantly impact your mental and spiritual well-being? While employing positive affirmations isn't new, more people are discovering how to put them into practice.
In this special guest blog, Rocio Espinoza explores the power of positive thinking and affirmations. Learn how to employ helpful thinking patterns that can influence proactive behaviour, and create empowering changes in your work, relationships and various aspects of life.
The power of positive thinking
Positive thinking entails how you communicate with yourself and those around you. Negative self-talk can derail your sense of self-esteem and self-worth, as well as your goals, therefore practising positive self-talk can significantly change your perspective - it’s like exercising a mental muscle.
Begin by addressing your inner voice, without judgement. Take notice of your thoughts, feelings and emotions with kindness and self-compassion. While practising positive thinking can enhance one's mental health, at the same time this does not mean that one needs to avoid confronting any issues. Positive psychology is an example of a mental practice that simply means you're learning, in time, to view things more proactively and optimistically, rather than negatively or with self-criticism.
What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations are brief statements or phrases used to counteract negative or harmful thoughts. By practising self-affirmations, you can improve your self-esteem, motivate yourself to make positive changes, and inspire others to do the same.
When you notice unhelpful, self-criticising thoughts, exercising a meditative practice or repeating positive affirmations can aid you into gently shifting your perspective - this isn’t a quick or easy fix and certainly takes time. However, over time studies have shown that this approach has the power to train your brain to think differently. This is not by any means a miracle cure for those living with high stress, depression or anxiety, nonetheless it has the potential to help you gradually shift your frame of mind and nurture your mental health.
Positive affirmations and psychological theory
Self-affirmation theory is one of the key psychological theories underlying positive affirmations (Steele, 1988). So, yes, there are empirical studies based on the idea that telling ourselves (or affirming) what we believe in positive ways can help us to maintain our sense of self-integrity.
In a nutshell, self-integrity is related to our perceived ability to control moral outcomes and respond flexibly when our self-concept is threatened (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). As a result, we are motivated as humans to protect ourselves from these threats by maintaining our self-integrity.
The benefits of positive affirmations
Incorporating positive thoughts into your life can provide various mental health benefits. While researchers continue to identify the effects of positive thinking, here are some examples of health benefits that it can provide:
- Increased life span due to decreased stress, which can also help lower blood pressure
- Reduced rates of depression
- Increased self-esteem, motivation, and likelihood of achieving one's unique goals
- A more robust, healthy immune system and a heightened resistance to health issues
- Increased resilience and skills to deal with life's difficulties and adversities
- Increased motivation to nurture a healthy diet and participate in physical activity
- Improved psychological and physical health and well-being
Using Positive Affirmations in Your Daily Life
There are numerous ways to incorporate positive affirmations into your everyday life, work, school, or other settings. Here are some examples:
- Make a list of a few empowering sentences or short phrases that you can refer to daily, or as needed.
- Incorporate a vision board to help you remain aligned to your goals, plan more clearly and feel motivated to accomplish them.
- During the day and just before going to bed, reiterate empowering mantras -
- When possible, practise optimistic meditation, which can assist you in feeling more at ease and grounded.
- Make a list of the things that bother you, and then assess what is in your control, highlighting how you can reshape those challenges into proactive actions.
Positive affirmation examples
For adults:
At all times, I will follow my intuition and listen to my inner voice.
I see the good in everyone.
What I admire most about myself is my ability to (fill in the blank).
In my life and work, I conduct myself genuinely.
I am a generous and kind person.
I am professional and thrive at what I do.
I am free to be myself without fear of judgement.
Through self-belief, courage and hard work, I can achieve anything that I set my heart and mind to
I’m content with who I am, and I love who I am becoming
Through my contributions, I make positive changes to the world
My body is amazing just the way it is, and I accept myself entirely
For young adults:
I am unique and beautiful
Others respect me for following my own beliefs
If a few people don’t accept me, I’m fine with that - you can’t please everyone
I know I am kind and good to the person I see in the mirror
I deserve to see myself as amazing
Whatever difficulties come my way, I have the power to overcome them
I was born strong, and I grow stronger every day
Today, I am going to trust myself and my instincts
I am good enough, and I am happy with just being me
For children:
I am loved
I am creative
I am kind
I am brave
I am a responsible person
I will always do my best
I am unique
When I set out to do something, I am capable of doing it
I will always help others
I am going to learn so much today because I am capable
I am important and a valuable person
Vision boards: a powerful tool to promote positive thinking
If you feel you lack motivation, consider creating a vision board. This is an effective method of promoting positive thinking and assisting you in achieving your goals.
What does a vision board entail?
A vision board is a collection of images, quotes, and other items that inspire you or facilitate you in visualising your objectives in "real life." This method is helpful in a range of situations, whether you're trying to lose weight, buy a new home, or obtain a promotion at work. You can combine a variety of images with powerful words or phrases to empower you to think positively. The impact of visualisation is a powerful tool that can help you stay on track and feel motivated to continue pushing forward in the face of adversity.
How to make a vision board
A piece of poster board or corkboard can serve as the "base" for your vision board. Cut out images from magazines, utilise personal photographs, or print out photos from the internet to place on the board. Then, encircle these images with inspirational and encouraging words and quotes. Your vision board can be focused on a single objective, or it can span multiple areas of your life. The secret is to fill it exclusively with images and words that promote a positive and proactive mindset.
Meditation apps that can help you with positive visualisation
Meditation is an excellent way to practise centeredness and optimistism. Here are some pointers on how to implement meditation into your life, whether it’s short bursts of time in between tasks or longer periods when you can:
Practising positive meditation first thing in the morning is a great way to get your day started with an empowered mindset. It’s recommended to begin with brief meditation sessions and transition to longer ones as you build confidence in finding your "flow."
Revisit some of the positive affirmations you wrote down, at the same time as exercising meditation.
While meditating, try listening to relaxing, soft music to help relax your mind.
Aim to meditate in a quiet space where you’ll be undisturbed, to avoid distractions.
Utilise a series of grounding techniques to assist you in staying calm and in control of your environment.
You can also meditate before bedtime to help you relax and aid restful sleep.
Positive meditation apps
Headspace. This popular app contains guided meditations, sleep sounds, and even children's meditations.
Calm. With guided sessions ranging in length from three to twenty-five minutes, the Calm application lets you choose your personal taste of meditation to help you calm nervousness, foster gratitude, and practise positive mindfulness.
Insight Timer. The Insight Timer app helps select your favorite choice of meditation or mindfulness practice, to assist you in achieving your objectives. Furthermore, you can determine the length of each meditation session depending on your routine and needs.
Aura. Boost the liveliness of your aura with this meditation app that involves nature sounds, daily meditations, life coaching, and music. When you install the app, pick your mood to access tools that are customised for you.
Smiling Mind. This meditation app, developed by psychologists, promotes mindfulness practice as a part of a healthy lifestyle. It contains clear ten-minute daily meditations arranged by category.
Your next steps
Whether you choose to utilise a vision board, practise regular meditation, write and repeat positive affirmations, or try a combination of all these practices - I hope this helps you to develop and enhance an empowered mindset.
Choose to embrace the intention to harness a positive, proactive view on situations, and inspire yourself with your goals. When you cultivate empowering practises of this nature to support a healthy relationship with your mind and body, it’s amazing to notice what is conceivable.
Keep these helpful tips, books, and apps in mind, and whatever obstacles you face, knowing that you have the capacity to choose a different, more empowered outlook can help you to manage with confidence.
Rocio Espinoza is a content writer at Porch. She is a mother of two and is passionate about wellness, fitness, and sustainability. She is a pet lover, and a true believer in the power of positive affirmations. Her hobbies are reading, writing, and cooking.