How To Use Positive Affirmations To Boost Your Self Esteem [Confidence Hack]

Positive affirmations are having a moment

… and I am HERE for it!!!

Not sure how to use positive affirmations?

Curious how they can boost your self esteem?

Positive affirmations are an amazing CONFIDENCE HACK for living your best life as a teenager.

Watch this video now to learn how to use positive affirmations effectively.

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I’ve been shouting my praises for positive affirmations for quite some time. Even though I’ve shared about positive affirmations in the past, let me break it down for you real quick.

What are Positive Affirmations?

Positive affirmations are positive self-talk statements you repeat to yourself daily to boost your self esteem. They can be used as anchors, or reminders, to keep the goals you are working on top of mind.

Now a lot of people have a lot of different opinions on what is the “right” or “correct” way to set or use positive affirmations. Honestly, I say do whatever works best for you!

Before I share my favorite ways to use positive affirmations, I want to tell you WHY positive affirmations are so powerful and helpful in boosting your self esteem.

Our minds believe WHATEVER we tell it!

Our subconscious is kinda like the rudder for our decisions. If you’re not familiar with boat terminology, and trust me - I am so NOT a boat person and even I can understand this- the rudder is the part of the boat that steers the boat in the direction you want it to go.


So our subconscious is taking in whatever we tell it, and it wants to trust and believe you. So if you keep thinking to yourself “I’m so stupid” - your rudder is going to believe you and go “Oh- I’m stupid, let’s go do stupid people things” and you’ll find yourself in situations where you’re doing things like making silly mistakes on tests when you KNOW the correct answer.

How do you set Positive Affirmations?

Choose a positive statement you’d like to believe about yourself, or a positive statement that reflects how you’d like to be or feel in the future. For example, let’s say you want to get into your top college XYZ University and you want to make sure it’s a great experience.


You could choose a positive affirmation like “I am loving life as a college student at XYZ University.”


You might be like: but wait- I’m not in college yet and I don’t even know if I can get into XYZ university. That’s OK. You can still use this affirmation. Though if you’re really having a difficult time struggling with believing this affirmation is even possible, your rudder is going to know that and reject that affirmation so you may need to change it up. Try adding “I am working towards” to the beginning.


“I am working towards loving life as a college student at XYZ University” - much more believable, right?

Here are some helpful tips I like to incorporate into my positive affirmations:

  • Use the first person. That means saying “I” instead of “you”- though others prefer saying “you”- try both out and see what feels better for you.

  • Incorporate how you will feel. Don’t just focus on the outcome, include the positive feeling you want as you accomplish that dream or goal.

  • Write them down. When you write these down, you are reinforcing this affirmation intellectually, emotionally and physically. There are several journals and planner that now incorporate this concept by making space for “I am” statements, which are great starters for positive affirmations.

  • Post them. Create a  wallpaper for your phone, place a note in your school binder, or stick a Post-it note in your locker or on your mirror with your positive affirmation. You want to put them somewhere that will remind you of your positive affirmation, and encourage you to think about it again.

  • Say them out loud. Again, reinforcing another sensory experience helps solidify that affirmation in our subconscious.

  • Look at yourself in the mirror. I highly recommend looking at yourself in the mirror when you say your positive affirmations so you can align your posture with how you feel. This can feel really empowering or unsettling at times, so proceed with care and lovingkindness toward yourself. 

What Positive Affirmations are you using today?

 

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Mallory Grimste

Mental Health Counseling for Teens and Young Adults physically located in CT or NY.