AFFIRMATIONS

Affirmations in terminology refer primarily to the practice of positive thinking and self-empowerment—fostering a belief that "a positive mental attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything." More specifically, an affirmation is a carefully formatted statement that should be repeated to one's self and written down frequently. For an affirmation to be effective, it needs to be present tense, positive, personal and specific.

Affirmations work best when they encompass three elements:

  • - visualisation of the affirmation in one's life
  • -feeling the affirmation in one's physiology
  • -vocalizing the affirmation in a way that one is already congruent with that affirmation

Positive affirmation to have a detrimental effect on those who need it the most, because people with low self-esteem will perceive the affirmation as so unbelievable that it strengthens their negative mindset. Those who already have high self-esteem feel slightly better, and those who don't will feel worse than if they had been allowed negative thoughts.

When people with high self-esteem uses positive affirmation, it acts as a buffer for constructive criticism that goes against the self-perception, and when people with low self-esteem uses positive affirmation, it rings untrue and therefore brings to mind exactly how they are not successful, loved, etc.

However, the use of self-affirmations, which involves writing about one's core values rather than repeating a positive self-statement, can improve performance under stress.

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