Self-help books often extol the benefits of using daily affirmations for good.
Almost everyone in the twenty-first century, including you and I, has heard of them. Yet, if you’ve never tried them, the concept could sound exceedingly strange.
It may seem strange to tell yourself how great you are, but if that’s all you do, there are probably better ways to go about it. It also doesn’t hurt to comprehend how and why positive affirmations came to be so well-liked if you’re a skeptic.
And yes, this practice is supported by some solid theory and substantial neuroscience. Let’s look at it!
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Louise Hay, who is she?
The aforementioned Louise Hay was an internationally popular author, teacher, and presenter who was best known for her 1984 book You Can Heal Your Life. Before founding the First Church of Religious Science, Hay, an American native, overcame a number of traumatic situations, including abuse and marital violence.
After receiving a diagnosis of cervical cancer that doctors described as permanent in the 1970s, Hay started researching non-medical treatment options. She therefore developed a method that included visualization, forgiveness, psychotherapy, and nutritional wellness.
Hay said in subsequent interviews—she lived to be ninety years old—that she thought this was the reason she was healed only six months after being diagnosed.
Hay stated that our health issues are often brought on by poor self-perceptions and other beliefs. She contended that we had the ability to change our lives and health via affirmations and other unconventional strategies like positive thinking.
You may have seen Hay on Oprah or read one of her books to understand more about the methods, routines, and affirmations she uses to support her ideas.
Frequent Questions Regarding Affirmations: Answers
If you’ve never used positive affirmations before, you probably have many questions right now. Here, we’ll respond to some of the most often posed queries on the subject.
Are Daily Self-Affirmations the Best?
When it comes to using self-affirmations, there are no strict guidelines regarding frequency or time.
Affirmations may be repeated up to three to five times daily, according to psychotherapist Ronald Alexander of the Open Mind Training Institute, to strengthen the favorable belief. He advises that one way to increase the potency and effectiveness of your affirmations is to write them down in a diary and practice them in front of the mirror (Alexander, 2011).
Can they assist with depression and anxiety?
Positive affirmations are not intended to treat anxiety or depression or to replace professional care for such diseases. But it doesn’t mean they won’t provide assistance.
The fundamental tenet of cognitive restructuring is the concept that affirmations may be used to introduce fresh, flexible cognitive processes. This is corroborated by research on cancer patients, which found a substantial positive association between sentiments of optimism and spontaneous self-affirmation (Taber et al., 2016).
Do They Increase Self-Esteem?
A warning applies to the use of affirmations while trying to increase self-esteem.
According to self-affirmation theory, it’s crucial that your affirmations mirror your fundamental personal beliefs (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). If what you are repeating to yourself doesn’t align with your own sense of what is morally just and valuable, there is little use in doing it.
Your self-affirmations should be constructive and aimed towards steps you can do to strengthen your sense of self-identity if you want them to have any type of effect on your self-esteem. Your affirmations should be based on your own qualities or skills you value.
Can Positive Affirmations Help You Sleep Better?
A lot of people with anxiety have trouble sleeping (Staner, 2003). Affirmations may be helpful in encouraging better sleep inasmuch as they sometimes assist in reducing anxiety.
Affirmations may also be included into meditation, which can be calming and peaceful. Positive affirmation meditation may be a wonderful technique to enhance your sleep since meditation has been shown to have several advantages for sleep quality (Nagendra et al., 2012).
Here are some audio and video resources that you may find useful if you want to attempt this.
Hay said in subsequent interviews—she lived to be ninety years old—that she thought this was the reason she was healed only six months after being diagnosed.