An affirmation is a positive statement that validates something about a person. You can say affirmations to yourself, and these will promote your own behavioral health recovery. At Cottonwood, in Tucson, Arizona, we believe that the mind, body, and spirit all play a role in wellness.
What Research Says About Affirmations
The more you repeat things to yourself, the more you strengthen your brain’s belief that they are true. In turn, your brain releases chemicals related to mood and well-being. Your brain reacts to hurtful things you say to yourself and to kind things you say to yourself, just as it responds to hurtful or kind things others say to you. Scientists have found that when we say positive things to ourselves:
- Our sense of well-being improves
- Our stress levels decrease
- School performance improves
- It becomes easier for us to change unhelpful behaviors
- We become more compassionate toward ourselves
- We become more compassionate toward other people
- We become less likely to ruminate on negative thoughts and experiences
Who Can Use Affirmations?
Celebrities, business leaders, and athletes often use affirmations to enhance their own performance, but the concept is simple enough to teach children. On his children’s show, “Doggyland”, rapper Snoop Dogg performed “The Affirmations Song” to teach children how to use affirmations to build up their own sense of self-worth. Some of the affirmations in the song include:
- “There is no one better to be than myself.”
- “My feelings matter.”
- “I get better every single day.”
- “I care about others.”
- “I learn from my mistakes.”
- “I deserve to feel good.”
How to Use Positive Self-Affirmations
When you are saying affirmations to yourself, it is important to repeat them. If you can do this at a set time each day, that is ideal, or you can repeat the positive statements whenever you find that you’re saying negative things to yourself. Some people find that saying affirmations is a great way to start their morning, while others prefer to utilize them as a way to end their day on a good note. You can say them aloud, in front of a mirror, or, if you prefer, you can write them in a journal or use art to express them.
What Should I Say?
The affirming messages you choose to say to yourself may depend on what you most need to reinforce to yourself. They don’t have to sound any specific way, but if you need examples, Crisis Text Line has affirmations specifically for:
- Daily use
- Weekly use
- Enhancing self-love
- Children
- Students
- Women
- Men
- Work
- Anxiety
- Depression
Crisis Text Line also has a guide for writing your own unique affirmations. Their process includes five steps:
- Writing out negative beliefs that hold you back. For example, if you regularly tell yourself that you are stupid or that you can’t do something.
- Rewriting those negative thoughts into a positive statement. If you have been telling yourself that you aren’t smart, reinforce the opposite, like recognizing that you are a good problem solver, a creative thinker, or able to work through problems by being diligent.
- Using words that are your own. Your statement does not need to sound exactly like other affirmations you have heard or read. You can phrase it any way you like, as long as it reinforces positive statements about yourself.
- Writing the statements in the present tense. Affirmations are about who you are, what you are already capable of doing, and the value you already have, so it is important to say them in the present tense.
- Repeating the positive statements often. Saying it once is great, but saying it over and over is what changes your brain and causes a statement to be accepted as truth.
Important Reminders About Affirmations
Affirmations aren’t magic, and they don’t replace other treatments. It is still a good idea to follow the advice of your treatment team, which might include utilizing medication, therapy, and other self-care strategies, in combination with affirmations. Positive thinking also doesn’t work overnight. The human brain is complex, and it takes time to change.
At Cottonwood, we know that the mind has a powerful role in the recovery process. Whether a person is recovering from a mental health condition, process addiction, or substance use disorder, healing their mind can support their long-term recovery.
