February 12, 2023February 17, 2023 Do mental affirmations work? Do mental affirmations work? The truth is, affirmations don’t work for everyone. And contrary to what some people suggest, positive thinking isn’t all-powerful. … Also keep in mind that low self-esteem and other negative thought patterns often relate to mental health concerns, including depression and anxiety. Do affirmations change the brain? When you do affirmations, you are teaching your brain a new way to think about the world. This changes what your brain processes on your behalf, leading you to see different things and have different thoughts, until the landscape changes so much that you get what it is you affirmed. Do affirmations work scientifically? Science, yes. Magic, no. Positive affirmations require regular practice if you want to make lasting, long-term changes to the ways that you think and feel. The good news is that the practice and popularity of positive affirmations are based on widely accepted and well-established psychological theory. What do positive affirmations do for a person with depression? When my depression was at it’s worst it was far too easy to get stuck inside my head ruminating on all the negatives that my brain was throwing at me. But affirmations gave me a way out. Something to focus on that wasn’t sadness, beating myself up or overwhelming. They gave me something positive to grab onto, like a life raft in a sea of blackness. Is it true that affirmations do not work for everyone? The truth is, affirmations don’t work for everyone. And contrary to what some people suggest, positive thinking isn’t all-powerful. Negative ideas about the self can certainly hold you back, but sometimes these ideas come from something that dwells a little deeper within. How does an affirmation help you to change your life? You’re using affirmations to help change long-standing patterns and beliefs. A good way to bring this change about is to act as if you’ve already succeeded. A goal remains something you have to work toward. An affirmation, on the other hand, strengthens your confidence by reminding you of what you can do right now. How does an affirmation help you get through a stressful moment? An affirmation like “I can remain calm even when I feel annoyed” might guide you to a habit of deep breathing or grounding exercises when you start to feel your blood boil. These tactics, combined with your affirmations, help you get through the stressful moment until you can politely make an escape. Questions