The Power of Self Affirmations

Self worth is a term so commonly used and is often interchangeable with self esteem, self love, self acceptance. All of these common terms really relate to one’s ability to feel valued and worth love from oneself and others. 

One of the best ways to work on self worth is to acknowledge and be aware of your inner self critic. What are the thoughts that often appear when self reflecting or self evaluating? Thoughts can be so powerful! Most of us have patterns of thinking that often influence how we feel and often our behavior as well. Our feelings are always valid but an important tool in self worth is the evaluation of the influence of our thoughts and how they impact how we feel about ourselves. 

Positive affirmations can be a powerful tool in influencing some of our negative thought patterns with new ways of reflecting or thinking about ourselves. Affirmations can help identify and connect us with our core values and become a tool in our “toolbox” of coping in more difficult times. Positive affirmations can help to reinforce positive self beliefs building confidence, support healthy relationships and boundaries. They are meant to challenge the negative thinking patterns and improve self perception. 

A Self Affirmation is a statement or mantra that asserts one’s own worth or value. This statement or matra can be read to help with negative thinking or even help in coping with anxious moments. They are future focused, individualized and can include goals, aspirations, values, and interests. When read or recited they can provide a powerful change in neuropathic connection to break negative thinking cycles. Over time this can be a powerful tool towards self worth and self confidence. 

Creating new patterns of behaviour can also influence our patterns of thinking. Incorporating a daily positive self affirmation or mantra can have powerful effects. I highly recommend having one visually accessible, maybe in a bathroom mirror, car, at your desk at work or somewhere you will notice embedded into a natural daily routine. Give it a try and see the positive impact you notice in your self worth. 

“The day you realize that comparing yourself to those around you gets you absolutely nowhere is the day you set yourself free” Charlotte Freeman

Carrie-Lee Gibson, MACP is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association and specializes in the areas of stress management, personal growth, as well as many others. For more information on Carrie-Lee and her work,  click here to link to her full bio page.