10 Positive Affirmations to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Positive affirmations help rewire your brain and replace subconscious negativity with positivity.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Telling yourself how awesome you are can seem silly, but if you have never tried positive affirmations before, the idea can seem incredibly awkward. In simple words, positive affirmations are positive phrases or statements used to overcome negative thoughts.

Positive affirmations can be used to motivate yourself, encourage positive changes in your life, or boost your self-esteem. It is the confidence one has in themselves and their capabilities. How we value ourselves reflects the way we think, and self-esteem plays a significant role in how someone sees themselves and others.

When you catch yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk or bouts of self-doubt, positive affirmations help combat these patterns and replace them with positivity.

One of the key psychological theories behind positive affirmations is the self-affirmation theory. The self-affirmation theory suggests that we can maintain our self-integrity and protect our self-esteem by affirming what we believe.

If practiced consistently, studies found that positive affirmations can help individuals maintain a positive perspective on themselves and that threats to perceived self-competence are met with resistance (Cascio, et. al 2015). You too can reap the benefits of positive affirmations by practicing them consistently.

Below are 10 positive affirmations to boost your self-esteem:

1. I deserve to be happy and successful.
2. I am worthy of happiness and love.
3. I love, respect, and believe in myself.
4. I am a unique and special person.
5. I deserve all that is good.
6. I am learning and changing for the better.
7. I value my opinions and ideas.
8. I am beautiful.
9. I approve of myself, right here and now.
10. I can learn to accept the parts of myself that I don’t like — that is how I grow.