Daily Affirmations – The Key To Unlocking Your Potential

Could affirmations actually work? I kept asking myself this when I first started journaling. It seemed too easy, too simple, too effortless. Would repeating my intentions really bring them to fruition? It turns out… yes they can!

Positive affirmations can be explained as ‘positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts’. They enable us to battle negative self-talk, stop reoccurring thought patterns, and stop maladaptive responses to situations. You may use positive affirmations to feel more motivated, boost self-esteem, or encourage positive change. Whatever your goal is, affirmations can be crafted to suit your needs.  

But is there any science behind it?  

Self-affirmation theory, founded by American psychologist Claude Steele from the University of Berkeley, is the psychological theory behind positive affirmations. It explains how the process is motivated by information that threatens your perception of who you are, and that this ‘perception is restored through explanation, rationalization, and/or action’. This is where the affirmations come in.  

MRI evidence has shown that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks. As we build neural pathways, our brain can connect and strengthen more neurons, improving brain health. Also, this increases our brain’s ability to take our neurons down a different pathway, enabling us to change negative thought patterns by arriving at a different, more positive destination mentally.  

As they are inherently positive statements, affirmations encourage an optimistic mindset, which can be a very powerful thing. For example, research has shown that affirmations help with the tendency to linger on negative experiences or thoughts. This has a positive knock-on effect on mental wellbeing, as you end up with a more positive outlook on situations, reducing anxiety, and enabling you to feel generally happier!  

So yes, affirmations do really work! But how are you supposed to start?  

To begin my own affirmation journey, I started by writing down a list of 5 things I wanted to change in my life (this could be self-love orientated, a physical goal, a motivational intention, or anything else you would like!). I then wrote down a simple positive statement alongside the intention which helped me improve my mindset and make my goals feel more achievable. Then, each day in the morning and evening, I would write down these affirmations and repeat them out loud to myself, often alongside a deep breathing exercise to help me stay present and focused on the words I was speaking aloud. Since starting this journey, my affirmations have changed day-to-day, depending on what I have on. For example, if I have a lot of Uni work to catch up on, I might add ‘I am productive and motivated’ to the affirmations list.  

Over time, I have started to feel a sense of achievement and pride, as I have gradually stopped repeating certain affirmations because I don’t need them anymore! I have achieved my original goal, and the affirmation has become my reality. This is why it is especially important to express affirmations in the present tense, so that you bring them into your current reality, instead of placing them in the past or future. 

If you’re struggling to come up with long-term goals or any specific changes you want to make in your life, then here are some ideas for some general affirmations to encourage a more positive mindset: 

• I choose to be happy. 
• I am grateful and blessed.
• I accept and love myself, thoroughly and completely
• I am resilient, strong, and brave. 

There are also many mobile apps available to start practicing affirmations daily such as ‘I am’, ‘Gratitude’ and ‘ThinkUp’ which will provide you with affirmation ideas based on what you want to achieve. They can also be set up to send you affirmation notifications, which can be helpful to get yourself into the habit of thinking of them throughout your day!  

It is important to remember that your affirmations are individual to you, your intentions, and where you are in your life. It is a personal journey that only you will experience the benefits of. Simple, effective, and not very time-consuming, affirmations are an easy way to improve mental wellbeing. So why not take 5 minutes out of your day to give it a go?  

“If you want to change the way you feel about yourself, first you have to change the way you think about yourself.”

~ Gavin Bird 

• #affirmations
• #journaling
• #mentalhealth
• #mentalwellbeing
• #positivity