Can affirmations work?

I am beautiful. I am capable. I am successful.

Have you ever tried using affirmations and find that they are not working for you?

Some people love affirmations while others think it’s another one of those New-Age, “woo-woo” gimmicks that don’t really work. I used to be on the fence about them, but realized that the reason it wasn’t working for me was because what I was saying didn’t feel genuinely true.

Affirmations can be a powerful tool to help build confidence however many people (my past self included) use them daily without actually believing what they are saying. And when you’re not believing what you are saying, it’s merely words. Your beautiful brain picks up on it and in comes the self-doubts and criticisms.

So you might be asking, how do I work on believing the affirmation? It requires doing a writing exercise to find the supporting evidence to back up what you are saying. Write down the affirmation and then write down how it is true, including as much supporting evidence as you need. Your brain is like the jury in a trial - it will question you and ask for more proof before delivering a verdict. So if you are telling yourself you are capable, write down all of the experiences in your life that support that statement. I am capable of ______ because ______. Give your brain reminders of times in the past when you displayed these qualities. This will help rid your brain of the self-doubt thoughts and quiet the inner critic. Your affirmations will be more convincing to you once you do this exercise because it will provide you with some logical evidence that your beautiful brain will appreciate.