Affirmations as a Simple Way to Jumpstart Positive Thinking

Positive Psychology online course Affirmations simple way to jumpstart positive thinking are short and straightforward statements intended to create self-change in the individual using it. I first learned of this from my Positive Psychology online course, but it’s only now that I remember that I had actually encountered these when I was younger.

The story will be at the later part of the articles, but one thing is for sure, my mother was a sly one!

In this Article:

• What is a Positive Affirmation?

• Using Affirmations

• Do Positive Affirmations Work?

• How to Get Started With Positive Affirmations

• A Memory and Legacy of my Mother

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What is a Positive Affirmation?

A positive affirmation is a simple, powerful statement that helps reframe negative thoughts into positive ones. It is usually written or spoken in the present tense and focuses on qualities, behaviors, or outcomes that you want to strengthen in your life.

Positive affirmations are often used in psychology to support mental health, self-growth, and well-being. By repeating them consistently, you send empowering messages to your subconscious mind, which can gradually shift how you think and feel about yourself. This practice allows you to replace limiting beliefs with thoughts that promote confidence, resilience, and optimism.

For example:

• “I am capable of handling challenges with calm and clarity.”

• “I am worthy of love, success, and happiness.”

• “I choose to focus on positivity and growth.”

In applied positive psychology, affirmations are seen as more than motivational statements—they are practical tools that help align your mindset with the life you want to create.

Using Affirmations

There are different uses of affirmations in applied positive psychology, but generally, it aims to restructure an individual’s subconscious to encourage a positive belief of a concept about oneself, the environment, and the situation they are in. These can also help build a foundation of a reality that we want to have—like attracting love, wealth, happiness, and beauty.

Walter E. Jacobson, M.D., mentioned that affirmation is truly helpful as the subconscious plays a vital role in realizing the life we want and the expression of our desires. He said that the things that we believe about ourselves at a subconscious level could substantially impact future outcomes.

Do Positive Affirmations Work?

The answer is YES, as there are scientific evidences to back it up.

Research by Creswell and colleagues (2013) found that self-affirmations buffer stress and improves problem-solving performance in underachieving and highly stressed individuals.

There is research that showed evidence of how affirmations help you in performing better at work. According to the study, spending just a few minutes thinking about one’s best qualities before a high-pressure meeting (ex: performance review) can help calm nerves, increase confidence, and improve chances of a successful outcome.

Self-affirmation was also used to successfully treat individuals with low self-esteem, depression tendencies, and other mental health conditions. Results showed that the affirmations stimulated the brain areas that make people more likely to affect positive changes in health.

A study suggests that having a stronger sense of self-worth helps in improved well-being. For example, if you’re worried that you seemed to be eating more and don’t get to have enough exercise, using affirmations to remind yourself of your values can urge you to change your behavior.

Interestingly, research found that low self-esteemed people may not be helped outright by affirmations and may even make them feel worse. This results from the conflict between a person’s current negative regard of oneself and the positive state desired through affirmations. To combat this, a person should first work on boosting their self-esteem before using affirmations.

 

How to Get Started With Positive Affirmations

Self-affirmations can be regarded as a simple intervention of applied positive psychology. But before diving straight into writing a list of affirmations, there are three things that we must go through:

1. An evaluation of behavior patterns that hampers our best interests—knowing these can help us create affirmations that can indeed impact our well-being.

2. Motivation. Knowing that our subconscious is not always aligned with what we want to happen to ourselves, the use of repeated affirmations will help it keep aligned with our visions.

3. If we want our positive affirmations to be effective, we need to learn how to construct these statements in the right ways. This way, our affirmations are more likely to lead to more positive actions, emotions, and experiences.

Guidelines for creating effective affirmations include:

• Vocalize them out loud and repeat them daily.

• Always use the present tense.

• Avoid negatives and focus on solutions.

• Keep them specific, simple, and direct.

• Add visualizations and passion when you say them.

• Ground them in your body and emotions.

• Pair them with consistent actions.

A Memory and Legacy of My Mother

The book that my mother gave us was The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. When I read it back then, it did not make any sense to me. I did not even appreciate it. My brother and I were tasked to read it and list down the ten scrolls titles in the book. What we didn’t know was that my mother had tricked us into writing down the affirmations. I also remember that right after that, we were to recite the list we got from the book for about a week!

I reread it recently, and here are the ten scroll titles to share with you:

1. I will form good habits and become their slaves.

2. I will greet this day with love in my heart.

3. I will persist until I succeed.

4. I am nature’s greatest miracle.

5. I will live this day as if it is my last.

6. Today I will be master of my emotions.

7. I will laugh at the world.

8. Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.

9. I will act now.

10. I will pray for guidance.

My mother died a decade ago, and I can’t help but smile at the thought of her cunningly teaching us affirmations way before we were ready, but I guess that will remain as her legacy. A memory that me and my brother will never forget. It was amusing to learn that a simple way to jumpstart positive thinking is through positive affirmations that help us maintain a strong self-view and face challenges with resilience.

Final Thoughts

So, what is a positive affirmation? It is more than just a sentence—it’s a tool to rewire your mindset, shift your beliefs, and support the life you want to create. Affirmations can become a source of inspiration, a reminder of your values, or a daily practice that strengthens resilience and positivity.

Ready to transform your mindset with powerful affirmations? Download our free worksheet and explore more about positive psychology with the School of Positive Transformation—where science and practice meet to help you unlock your true potential.

Ready to transform your mindset with powerful affirmations? Download our free worksheet to start cultivating positive thinking and unlock your true potential.