How to Use Daily Positive Affirmations to Boost Self-Esteem

By now, we’ve all seen a few of those cute YouTube videos where a child is saying positive affirmations to themself in the mirror. There’s a reason why parents are encouraging their kids to include this practice in their daily routine: it boosts self-esteem and overall mental health. Affirmations are a great self-care action to add to your day at any age.

Self-talk is important and has more of an effect than many people realize. We probably don’t have to point out that the voice inside your head has a lot to say. And it’s up to you, and you alone, to decide the tone taken and the thoughts shared. 

While meditation and other mindfulness practices can help to occasionally quiet that voice, it is all but impossible to silence it. And, if you use self-talk as a tool to improve your well-being, you really won’t need to! Positive affirmations are a simple way to use that inner voice to promote a healthy outlook on yourself, others, and life in general.

So, What are Positive Affirmations? 

Positive affirmations are present-tense statements you regularly make to yourself to combat negative thoughts. For example, a popular one is: “I am enough.” However, affirmations can be much more specific than that.

Choosing some positive affirmations that combat your negative thoughts and repeating them a few times a day is like exercise for your mind. Over time, they can actually help to change your overall outlook and even behavior. 

Often, positive affirmations you may see on social media are focused on looks. However, these can be used in all aspects of your life. Affirmations can consist of anything from “I have great hair” to “I am a hard worker and will get that promotion.” 

How to Use Affirmations 

Affirmations work best if they are repeated daily, if not multiple times a day. It is best to be somewhere where you can look yourself in the eye when saying them. This helps the words stick and can even raise your confidence! But, any time is fine. Just make sure to insert them into your daily routine wherever possible. Use calendar notifications, if needed, also!

If a negative emotion or thought occurs when going through your positive affirmations, don’t panic. Just choose an affirmation that combats that thought head-on. 

Visualization of goals can also be a great activity to pair with positive affirmations for even better results.

Benefits of Using Daily Positive Affirmations 

1. Helps Minimize Negative Thoughts

First and foremost, positive affirmations help you deal with struggles that may come up. It’s easy for our minds to pick out all the things wrong with ourselves or our situation. But with positive affirmations, the goal is to change our focus. 

Worried about how you’ll look in a swimsuit? Pump yourself up by saying what you like about your body! Anxious about taking on a new role at work? Remind yourself how smart and capable you are!

2. Increases Confidence

Positive affirmations are actually shown to be effective in treating low self-esteem. After a while, you’ll be able to notice a difference in yourself when your self-talk becomes less critical and more compassionate. You won’t be as quick to judge yourself and may even discover new things you love about yourself that you never noticed.

3. Helps Promote Action

Positive affirmations can help to promote productivity and overcome bad habits, especially when paired with goal setting. A boost in self-esteem can make you feel more motivated and focused. Maybe you find yourself finally sticking to your workout routine or not engaging in toxic relationships. Great! That’s proof that those affirmations have turned into actions.

4. Controls Emotions Better

Saying or thinking positive self-talk statements to yourself allows you to check in with yourself and address your feelings right away. Whichever insecurity jumps out first is the one you know needs to be nipped in the bud. Already being in a positive mindset can also mean all the difference between a good and bad day. After all, it’s hard to be mad when you’re complimenting yourself!

Give Positive Affirmations a Try!

The next time you’re feeling down or not like yourself, try an affirmation or two. Affirmations can focus on physical or personal traits, as well as relationship or situational aspects of your life.

It may be awkward at the start, but try picking one affirmation to add to your routine for a few days and let us know how it goes. At Clean Rebellion, we like to keep our affirmations simple. A few of our favorites are: “I am happy,” “I am gorgeous,” and “I am free.” 

And if you need some additional inspiration, we include one of these positive affirmations on each of our bottles of organic castile soap. Because we think it is important to feel as good on the inside as our soap makes your skin feel on the outside!