Positive Thinking and Affirmations

The power of positive thinking will affect our mental and spiritual well-being. By putting them into practice will influence our behavior, empower changes in our daily life and work routines, relationships and many aspects of life. 

The power of positive thinking

Positive thinking is how you communicate with yourself and those around you. You can develop a can do attitude only when you have positive thoughts. However, it isn't enough, actions are also required. Positivity makes you belief that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. Negative self-talk can derail your sense of self-esteem and self-worth, as well as your goals, therefore practicing positive self-talk can significantly change your perspective - it’s like exercising a mental muscle.

Starting off by addressing your inner voice without any judgment is most important factor. Notice what your thoughts, feelings, emotions, kindness are like. By practicing the positive thinking, everyone can enhance their mental health and that does not mean one needs to avoid or run away from problems or 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 statements that are used to counteract negative thoughts. By practicing self-affirmations/positive affirmations, one can improve their self-esteem, motivate themselves to make positive changes, and inspire others to do the same.

Whenever you notice self-criticizing thoughts, exercising a meditative practice or repeating positive affirmations can gently shift your perspective – That being said, it’s not easy or a quick solution, that’s definitely takes some time. However, studies have shown that this approach has the power to train your mind to think differently. This isn’t a cure for anxiety or depression or stress but this has a potential to help you shift and nurture your mind and 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:

1. Reduces rate of depression
2. Increases self-esteem, motivation and you can achieve the unique goals set by you.
3. Decreased stress, which can also help lower blood pressure and eventually helps in increasing life span.
4. Increases motivation towards healthy diet and physical activities which are required for a healthy life style.
5. A more robust, healthy immune system and a heightened resistance to health issues
6. Increased resilience and skills to deal with life's difficulties and adversities
7. 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:

1. Make a list of a few empowering sentences or short phrases that you can refer to daily, or as needed. 
2. Incorporate a vision board to help you remain aligned to your goals, plan more clearly and feel motivated to accomplish them. 
3. During the day and just before going to bed, reiterate empowering mantras - 
4. When possible, practice optimistic meditation, which can assist you in feeling more at ease and grounded. 
5. 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.