There are countless positive affirmations to counter harmful negative self-talk. Humans are drawn to optimistic people, yet they ravish their self-esteem with criticism. Fortunately, several proven methods exist to retrain the brain so they can live peacefully with their thoughts.
These techniques include using a stop sign, exercising gratitude toward oneself and others, journaling, meditation, and more. Notice all of these strategies are free.
Short positive affirmations that are easy to remember are an essential tool for changing a person’s thinking, which transforms a person’s behavior and life.
These statements offer support, encouragement, and strength when needed.
It can be challenging to conquer negative self-talk, but the potential outcome — inner peace — is worth the effort.
Calling on a mental stop sign and replacing the harmful thoughts with positive ones is a relatively simple way to overcome thinking hurtful thoughts about oneself.
For example: When negative thoughts creep in, declare aloud, “Stop,” which summons the brain’s stop sign. Next, defeat the unwanted thoughts by repeating a simple positive affirmation. If you start to feel unworthy, a helpful assertion is to say, “I am worthy of________.”
Sample responses: “I’m not good enough to get the promotion” could be switched to “I deserve the promotion because I do my job well.” Or “I lost the game” to “That gives me another chance to win.”
It might seem unnatural or complicated to believe positive affirmations when starting to counteract negative self-talk. Remember, changing the thought process is creating a new habit. It takes practice. It is worth the journey.
Think of it this way: Positive affirmations are anti-negative messages that retrain the brain to seek peaceful, uplifting thoughts. Happier Human offers a list of 154 short, easy-to-recall affirmations.
Positive Affirmations Lead to Mental Wellness
It is easy to feel overwhelmed in this complicated world with bosses, teachers, significant others, and children striving to be the top priority.
While these needs must be addressed, their requests would feel less burdensome after dedicating daily time to oneself.
Start the day by reading one or two of your favorite positive affirmations and writing about something you are grateful for.
Think about these during the day, especially when stressors arise. Self-care is vital. Otherwise, being mindful of others’ feelings or needs is incredibly challenging.
As the habit of mental self-care grows, consider adding meditation and other mental wellness activities. This is also an excellent time to evaluate outside influences like social media, friends, coworkers, and family.
Are they uplifting? Do they offer peace? Do they inspire positivity?
7 Favorite Positive Affirmations
Therapists suggest finding seven positive affirmations, one per day for seven days. After four weeks, choose seven more and repeat. They also suggest reading the affirmations out loud.
Reading them aloud helps the brain to process the words more efficiently, which improves recall.
Ultimately, the goals are to learn what brings on negative self-talk and avoid the situation or, when these harmful thoughts start, to quickly counter them with positive affirmations already in the brain’s database.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Mayo Clinic: Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
National Day Calendar: Positive Thinking Day | September 13
Verywell Mind: The Power of Positive Thinking; By Kendra Cherry, MSEd, Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD
HuffPost: 7 Ways to Practice Positivity and Optimism Every Day; By Faisal Hoque
Positive Psychology: Ultimate Positive Thinking Exercises (+ 3 Great Techniques); By Tchiki David, Ph.D., Scientifically reviewed by Jo Nash, Ph.D.
Betterhelp: The Power Of Positive Thinking For Your Life: How To Do It; Medically Reviewed by Melissa Guarnaccia, LCSW
Happier Human: 154 Short, Positive Affirmations that are Easy to Remember; By Sarah Kristenson
Featured and Top Image by Andre Hunter Courtesy of Unsplash
First Inset Image by Galina Nelyubova Courtesy of Unsplash+
Second Inset Image by Dagmara Dombrovska Courtesy of Unsplash
