5 Tips for Using Positive Affirmations to Build Confidence

Is low self-esteem is holding you back from actively living or pursuing the life you deserve to live? If so, then you can learn to rebuild your self-confidence and self-esteem by practicing the use of positive affirmations on a daily basis. Begin to experience the happiness and contentment that you have been missing in your life. When you constantly repeat negative, derogatory statements about yourself either to yourself or out loud, they can easily bring you down and steal the joy right out of you. Fortunately, you have a choice. You can choose what you think and say and by replacing such negative statements such as: “I am an idiot”, “I am so ugly”, “Everyone hates me” with positive affirmations can change the way you think and feel about yourself. Instead of focusing on your negative attributes, affirmations are simple phrases or statements which focus on the positive. Repeating these statements over and over can reprogram your subconscious mind and allow you to enjoy the rewards of this new way of thinking. Follow these tips on how to properly incorporate positive affirmations into your daily life: 1. Use positive, present tense form. Make sure your phrases begin with “I can” “I am” or “I have” rather than using “I will” or “I may”. * Some examples are “I have beautiful eyes” and “I am smart” instead of “I am not stupid”. * Word the statements as if you already have that quality or behavior that you would like to encourage or exhibit. 2. Incorporate your name into the affirmation. Using your name within the affirmation makes the statement much more powerful. Your name is the most beautiful word to be spoken to you and when you hear it, it makes you more receptive to the message being spoken. Saying “I, [insert name], am beautiful both inside and out” makes a big difference. * Your subconscious will process the words more quickly when you use your name within the affirmation. 3. Start slowly. It is best to focus on one or two positive affirmations when you are just beginning, even though you have many positive qualities. Starting with more than that can overwhelm your subconscious. * For example, if someone you met were to go on and on about all of your great qualities, after the first few you would begin to become skeptical. This is the same idea behind starting with too many affirmations at once your subconscious mind may dismiss the deeper meaning. * Start out with one or two, and after those have been firmly embedded into your subconscious, then move on to others. 4. Repeat often. You will experience lasting changes more quickly if you repeat your affirmations on a regular basis. * Your subconscious mind is most ready to accept suggestions right when you awake in the morning or at night while you are ready to drift off to sleep. 5. Use books and websites for reference. If you are having trouble coming up with your own positive affirmations, there are many self-improvement websites and books that have affirmations. Choose one or two that stand out to you and use those to start.