How to Use Self-Affirmations

Learn about self-affirmation and get examples to use in your life.

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By Tchiki Davis

• We have a variety of automatic, defensive mental strategies that protect our self-esteem from plummeting in the face of threats.
• We can “self-affirm” — or protect our sense of self — by engaging in activities that remind us of who we are.
• Affirmations can be defined as statements that we repeat to ourselves to help us shift the way we’re thinking to be more positive.

Do you struggle to feel sure of yourself? Do people tell you that you lack confidence? Or does negative feedback rattle your sense of self or well-being? Then learning about self-affirmation may be helpful for you.

Each of us faces numerous threats to our self-worth (insults, criticism, etc.). Yet, we are often able to look past these threats and still feel good about ourselves. Researchers propose that this is because we have a psychological protection system — a system that involves a variety of automatic, defensive mental strategies that protect our self-esteem from plummeting in the face of threats (Sherman & Cohen, 2006).

For example, we tend to believe that we are responsible for positive outcomes but that we are not responsible for negative…