Proclaiming has become every day parlance with people claiming that they have been able to actualise their innermost desires simply through wishful thinking.

It is not uncommon to see people saying that they practice daily affirmations as a way of bettering their lives. 

But do affirmations really work. What are affirmations anyway? Jackline Gathu, a counselling psychologist defines affirmations as positive words that you speak to yourself, so that you can see positive things going on around you.

They are self-fulfilling prophecies to target your thoughts and beliefs about yourself and others and the world around you. 

She explains that there is a clear difference between positive thinking and affirmations. “Positive thinking has a lot to do with dissecting your situation and trying to see the best case and worst case scenarios and choosing to focus on the best case scenario.

Affirmations on the other hand are hinged on the fact that you want to empower yourself and power through both positive and negative situations. Affirmations are about self-belief and the view of yourself and those around you,” Jackline explains. 

She further elaborates that affirmations are not a ‘fake it till you make it’ school of thought. They are a way of leveraging the power of the mind since every behaviour stems from an action that started out as a thought.

Reprogramming the subconscious

Sarah Changalwa, founder of Mentally Serene Hub agrees with this. She says, “Affirmations are positive statements that are designed by an individual to create self-change and enable them to overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts.

These phrases are repeated frequently in an effort to reprogramme the subconscious mind and redirect it towards the actualisation and manifestation of our desires.”

Sarah further explains that while affirmations are used whenever we need to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts, they can also be used when we need to motivate ourselves, boost our self-esteem and encourage positive change in life and get rid of irrational thoughts and negative subconscious patterns. Affirmations help us when we need to maintain self-integrity and take charge of our lives. 

Jackline adds that everyone needs affirmations. The reason is that we all suffer from fluctuation of energy and mood.

There are times when you feel confident and there are times you feel so down that you need an extra push to see positivity in life. Everyone should adopt the practice of affirmations to push through the times when they feel demotivated.

“Even as little as three affirmations in the morning can make a difference if practiced consistently. When you start doing the affirmations, it might feel mechanical at first, but persevere and it will become second nature. You will also notice your mindset shifting,” Jackline explains.

She explains that for affirmations to work, they need to be ‘I statements’ and to be positive. You, for instance, would say ‘I am wealthy’ rather than ‘I am not poor.’

The statements need to evoke an emotional reaction, so it is important to accompany the affirmations with some visualisation and meditative exercises. One create affirmations for every area of their life, from spiritual, financial, relationships to well-being.

One can say them to themselves in front of a mirror every morning and evening or at set times of the day or simply write them down in their journal. 

Sarah adds that one can do affirmations to express gratitude, affirmations that inspire them to move, those that compliment them and those that are rewiring them for change.

A person who gets into bad relationships due to a lack of self-worth and self-esteem can for instance consistently affirm that they are worthy of love. The affirmations would be something like ‘I am enough’ I am worthy of love’ ‘Good men are coming my way’ ‘love is coming to me freely’ ‘I deserve to be loved and well too.’

When they work

While affirmations work since they leverage neuroplasticity of the brain, there are instances when they do not work. Sarah explains that they may not work when what you are trying to affirm yourself about is inconsistent with your interpersonal beliefs and results in an inner struggle, or a cognitive dissonance.

When an individual is doubtful, anxious and depressed, the affirmations may not only be useless, but they may result in more damage resulting to low self-esteem, especially if they are not done the right way. She explains that you have to believe in your affirmations for them to work. 

 “Practice affirmations at any time of day, and as many times as you need to. There are times when you will need to affirm yourself more and that is okay.

There are times when you will need to do affirmations to redirect your energies. If they speak to you personally and are practiced consistently they will work and help you reprogramme your subconscious so you can achieve all you want in life,” Jackline says in conclusion.