When you’re trying to make positive changes in your life, negative thoughts often get in the way. However, you may feel like the negative thoughts were always present. You may not know what life will be like if you stop having these thoughts. After all, you’ve made it this far with the rain cloud over your head. The first step is realizing the importance of thinking positively. Positive thinking doesn’t mean pretending everything is great; rather, it means believing that it has the potential to be. After all, they say that if you believe you can do it, you’re right, and the same goes for believing you can’t.
Start by considering where the negative thoughts came from. Why are you having these thoughts in the first place? It could be that someone criticized you unfairly in the past or that you wrote a narrative based on what you believe about yourself. These thoughts mainly come in the form of self-criticism, catastrophizing and all-or-nothing thinking. Often, we use them as jokes to cope with the way we feel. However, even joking about these thoughts makes them feel more real.
Whether you keep these thoughts inside or let them out in an unhealthy way, they can be damaging to your mental health. Negative self-talk causes undue stress and leads to self-fulfilling prophecies.
Affirmations tell you what you can do and open up the possibilities for what your life can be. They can range from telling yourself “I am enough” until you actually believe it to saying “I will be a marathon runner” and taking the steps to make it happen. Incorporating affirmations into your daily routine gives you mindful moments that you can use to encourage yourself to be who you want to be. When you believe in yourself, you’re one step closer to reaching your goals.
When you’ve lived with negative thoughts for a long time, it may feel like a default setting. However, you have the power to combat these thoughts and feel better about yourself. Try one or more of these strategies:
Affirmation statements should be personal to who you are and who you want to be. Start your statement with “I am” and “I will” and focus on areas of your life that you would like to improve. For instance, you can say “I am great at what I do” if you know you’re skilled but don’t always believe in yourself. Or you can say “I will become an expert in my field” if you want to work toward this goal but aren’t there yet. It’s always best to start your day with affirmations, and it helps to write them down in a place you can reference as the day wears on.
When you get down on yourself, you give your negative thoughts all the power. Affirmations help you take that power back. So, tell yourself you can, be your best self, and go accomplish your goals! When it’s hard, always remember that I believe in you!
