“I can never do this job. I’m just not skillful enough.”
“Why did my boss have to assign me to present our company? I’m a terrible speaker.”
“I can never get promoted. My colleagues are top-notch.”
These negative thoughts often collude with the thinking that drags down his/her mood, outlook, and even confidence. Moreover, these can become self-fulfilling prophecies as they become convinced that he/she is not good enough.
However, the table turns if a person will deliberately do the opposite and inhibit positive thoughts, causing something powerful than ever. It can uplift someone’s mood and affirms with confidence to eventually increase productivity and competency.
Do affirmations help increase someone’s self-esteem and affect one’s career and life? Learn more about confidence affirmations and how it positively affects someone, like conquering public speaking fears, through this article.
What is Positive Affirmation?
Positive affirmations are any words, phrases, statements, and thinking that motivate, encourage and stimulate positive changes in your life and challenge unhelpful or negative thoughts. It may have a simple definition, but applying this practice that affirms with confidence can be complicated and unconvincing for others.
As statistics among people with glossophobia (fear of public speaking) intensify, more people need positive affirmations for self-confidence than ever. While confidence affirmations help boost self-esteem, there are other benefits that positive affirmation can do to a person.
Why is Positive Affirmation Powerful?
While bringing positive changes to one’s thought patterns, positive affirmations also open up opportunities to every struggling person. Here are the reasons why positive affirmations are powerful.
1. Beats Depression
While boosting self-confidence, positive affirmations can also beat depressing thoughts. Thoughts of people with low self-esteem and not being good enough indeed play a role in worsening depression.
A study by the University of Arizona stated that positive affirmations are also a supplemental treatment for depressed and even anxious patients. For some patients involved in the research, positivity and the likes are the most influential part of their recovery process.
Although affirmations are not a sole cure for depression, it is a necessary form of treatment effective to many.
2. Motivates People Around
If a person has positive people around, they can become an influence and enlighten the unpleasant thoughts. Keeping positive people can transform the overall energy quicker than fighting distressing thoughts yourself.
3. Transform Livelihood
There have been many stories about people who failed to run a business before and then transformed it into a successful one in a short period after changing their views in life. Thus, positive thoughts that affirm with confidence also bring enormous money and alleviate livelihood.
Confidence affirmations and other motivational apps are also in-demand nowadays with the emergence of smartphones. This opportunity creates more jobs for employees in the IT and related industries as well.
4. Strengthens Relationship
Positive affirmations make it easier to make relationships more intact as these thoughts flourish new relationships and lessen tension at the same time. Positivity eliminates unhelpful old habits and creates mutually beneficial ones that change all aspects of life.
What is Negative Affirmation?
Negative affirmations are words that have impactful causes to one’s overall thinking that results in unpleasant living. Getting used to hearing negative comments from others can slow down improvements and eventually lead to verbal abuse.
Worst, it can lead to depression, lack of self-esteem, and low self-confidence. Affirmations that lower self-esteem might make a person lousy until no person wants to listen or pay attention to him/her anymore.
How Negative Affirmation Affects Life?
It is tough to build the confidence of a person who has always received nothing but discouraging words and statements. Here are some of the results of negative thinking.
- Low self-esteem
- Self-pity and self-doubt
- Disempowerment
- Sabotaging own success
- Depression
Being skeptical about the effectiveness of self-talk or affirmation can be possible. Still, it won’t hurt to understand why positive confidence affirmations and other ways that affirm with confidence became popular.
Does Positive Self-Talk/Affirmations Really Work?
A study from the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience concluded that self-affirmation activates two brain reward centers: the ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). These areas respond to other pleasurable stimuli, like eating delicious foods or winning a prize.
Neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to change and adapt to different life situations – offers some clues to prove and illustrate how affirmations work. And it can also make affirmations more effective if practiced appropriately.
Creating a mental image of accomplishing something activates some brain areas to help someone experience these situations. Thus, regular repetition of affirming statements can encourage the brain to make these positive affirmations.
For example, replace a negative or anxious thought like:
“I can never do this job. I’m not good enough. I should just resign.”
With a positive confidence affirmation:
“I have all the necessary experience and skills. I can do this well.”
Positive self-talk helps in relaxation before executing the tasks, but getting prepared also eases self-sabotaging thoughts. Though repeating confidence affirmations can boost motivation, there is still a need for some actions.
What to Do if Positive Affirmations Don’t Work
There is nothing wrong if positive affirmations for confidence won’t work as it is not an absolute method in making a task successful. For some people, positive affirmations strengthen, instead of weakened negative self-perception.
If positive affirmations don’t work, acknowledge the negative thought, as fighting only gives it more power and strength. Identifying the unpleasant thoughts needs mindfulness – the state of openness and focus – incorporated in a professional treatment called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that includes:
- Cognitive Defusion – involves letting go of unhelpful and unwanted memories, thoughts, beliefs.
- Acceptance – accepting the existence of negative thoughts and feelings, allowing them to come and go without giving them much attention or energy.
- Being Present – engagement in the present moment openness and without judgment
- Values – being in tune with the morals and beliefs necessary to oneself
- Committed Action – acting on the values of oneself.
Learning mindfulness skills in the ACT lessens painful memories and unhelpful thoughts to help battle against anxiety, depression, and other issues causing low self-confidence. Positive affirmations are not the only way to boost self-esteem and eventually master speeches and other public presentations on time.
Is There Any Scientific Evidence that Affirmations Work?
There is science behind the power of positive confidence affirmations and other acts that affirm with confidence. As previously mentioned, affirmations can trigger some areas of the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in the brain that functions to fill awareness with things.
For instance, if a person thinks about red, then he/she notices all red all around. This case is also similar when a person tells himself/herself about how amazing life is, where he/she finds more incredible experiences than before.
Positive affirmations for confidence and other aspects require regular practice and maintenance for long-term changes. Fortunately, there are widely accepted and well-established psychological theories and related studies and researches for positive confidence affirmations’ practice and popularity.
Psychological Theories
| Self-affirmation Theory | States that people maintain a sense of integrity by telling what to believe in positive ways |
| Self-efficacy | Perceived ability to control moral outcomes, responding flexibly when the self-concept gets threatened |
| Self-integrity | One’s concept of oneself as a righteous, ethical person who acts in ways following cultural and social norms |
| Self-identity | Refers to the stable and notable aspects of one’s self-perception |
Related Studies and Researches
| Self-affirmation activates brain systems responsible for self-related processes and rewards reinforced by future orientation. | http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/11/05/scan.nsv136.full.pdf+html |
| Self-Affirmations provide a broader perspective on self-threat. | https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/sasi/wp-content/uploads/sites/275/2015/11/Critcher_AffPersp.pdf |
| Self-affirmations led people to increase their physical behavior. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24686957/ |
| Self-affirmations help tolerate threatening messages with less resistance, including interventions. | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51867629_The_Role_of_the_Self_in_Physical_Health_Testing_the_Effect_of_a_Values-Affirmation_Intervention_on_Weight_Loss |
Have Positive Affirmations Worked for You?
Imagine having a big day that will define the next stage of your career, whether through a public presentation or a private meeting. One of the most popular ways that affirm confidence is the self-practice and assessment method, where you face in front of the mirror to practice what you will say on D-day.
This concept is similar to how to make positive affirmations work for you, whether you keep a mini-notebook full of daily encouraging quotes or have them stuck in your working table. Aside from these tricks, here are other ways to make positive affirmations work for you.
Cards with Words that Affirm with Confidence
Making your own confidence affirmation cards is useful anytime and anywhere throughout the day. A search on the internet would show an abundance of quotes and even designs for DIY cards that affirm confidence and other motivational words.
Apps for Confidence Affirmations
Mobile phones and other portable gadgets can also be a tool to remind words that affirm with confidence. Here are some apps to check out.
- ThinkUp
- Shine
- Unique Daily Affirmations
- Kwippy
- Smiling Mind
- Louise Hay Affirmation Meditations
- Instant Affirmation Writer
Positive Morning Affirmations
Positive morning confidence affirmations can be potent—and an excellent opportunity to practice repeating them would be in front of the mirror. Here are some suggestions:
- I am beautiful, and everybody loves me.
- I am open to new and beautiful changes.
- Life brings me only good experiences.
- I feel glorious, dynamic energy. I am active and alive.
- Abundance flows freely through me.
- My experiences are essential for my growth and development.
- I am worthy because I honor who I am.
Positive Meditation Affirmations
Affirmations extend beyond repetition as there are available guides for meditation sessions to reflect on those words that affirm with confidence. Here are some useful meditation guides:
When and How to Use Affirmations?
After deciding to use affirmations and collecting a list of them, it is time to choose statements that affirm with confidence to resonate most with you. There can never be a right or wrong answer, but the following tips can help you achieve most of them.
Create a Daily Routine
Repeating affirmations during stressful moments helps, but they have the most impact if used regularly instead of only in crucial times. Commit to affirming for at least 30 days, but it might take longer to see improvements.
Allot a few minutes twice or thrice a day to repeat affirmations during the morning and before going to bed. Stick to a consistent routine like aiming for a certain number of repetitions of each positive statement.
Keep Affirmations Recent
Always revisit and restructure affirmations to make them more effective by asking yourself whether they still help your worries. If you have noticed its efficacy, use this success as inspiration to spark a new affirmation.
Find Conspicuous Place
Place the affirmations where they are visible and easy to notice, like sticky notes, phone notifications, or journal entries.
Be Realistic
Find confidence affirmations that center on your specific traits and make them achievable to your capacity.
Ultra-positive affirmations like “I love myself every day” often fail as most people do not believe those things. Make them more neutral or specific, like “I love my smile,” prove more helpful.
What are the Best Positive Affirmations?
After knowing and learning about the effectiveness of confidence affirmations and other positive aspects, it is time to list some positive affirmations for different scenarios.
Positive Affirmation for Women
- I choose to be happy.
- I’m gifted because I have amazing friends and family.
- I opt to ditch negative thoughts.
- I am resilient and brave.
- Nobody but me decides how I feel.
- I rest content every time I go to sleep.
- I’m in charge of my thoughts, and I will judge myself appropriately.
- I accept and love myself.
Positive Affirmations for Men
- I am responsible for my actions, words, and thinking.
- My goals and desires are as worthy as everybody else’s.
- By being true to myself, I bring happiness to other people.
- Through my contributions, I make positive changes around me.
- With courage and hard work, I can achieve anything.
- I feel content with who I am, and I love who I am becoming.
- I choose only to have supportive and good people.
- My body is astounding just the way it is, and I accept myself this way.
- Whenever I fall, I get back up again.
Positive Affirmation for Anxiety
- I believe in who I am.
- I free myself from unnecessary fear, doubt, and judgment.
- I’m collected and calm.
- My negative thoughts are irrational, and I will stop myself from getting ruined by these.
- My fear does not control my life – I do.
- I am safe because this is my world.
- This moment is just temporary.
- I release negative feelings and thoughts about myself.
- I’m not going to be scared by pure substantial consequences.
- I always see the best in others.
- I am on a journey, ever-growing and developing.
- Nobody can disturb this peacefulness.
- I am consistent in the words and things that I say and do.
Positive Affirmation for Teens
- I am unique and beautiful.
- I’m kind to the person I see in the mirror.
- I deserve to see myself as amusing.
- If a few people don’t accept me, I’m confident with that.
- I forgive others for their wrong deeds, and I will forgive myself when I do so.
- I am going to trust myself and my instincts.
- Whatever difficulties that come to me, I can overcome them.
- I was born tough, and I grow stronger every day.
- I’m a quick, capable learner.
- I believe in myself as a person and in all my capabilities.
- I’m enough, and I am okay with myself.
- I choose not to let those hurtful things affect me negatively.
- Others respect me for following my own beliefs.
- I am working every day on the best me that I can be.
Positive Affirmation for Students and Kids
- I’m loved.
- I’m responsible.
- I will always do my best
- When I get a bad grade, I am motivated to do better.
- I’m determined to pursue the stars.
- I’m creative and unique.
- I set high standards for my academic performance. By allotting time and effort, I can accomplish what I set out to achieve.
- I’m brave.
- I appreciate my school, teachers, and classmates because they help me grow to be a better person.
- Even on days when I don’t make much progress, I am still learning. On other days, I make incredible progress toward my goals.
- When I plan to do something, I can do it.
- I’ll always help others.
- I am going to learn a lot today because I can do so.
- I am an important and valuable person.
Conclusion
Confidence affirmations can be a refreshing way to use positive self-talk for reversing negative subconscious thoughts and motivating ourselves, whether it is for coping with anxiety, building self-esteem, or motivation to do something big, words that affirm with confidence.
Download the free Orai app today to build your confidence through public speaking!
