The Value of Affirmations to Boosting Self-Esteem

Boosting your self-esteem may be done in a variety of ways; from buying brand new shoes, changing your hairstyle, or helping an elderly cross the street. These matters usually come subjectively, as you personally give yourself affirmations for the little things you have done. Affirmations boost your self-esteem as they give you a sense of value and approval in yourself and the things that you do.

Affirmations are usually brief encouraging statements that you repeat over and over to yourself, which positively affect your psyche and boost your self-esteem. Affirmations may come from other people, when they give you compliments for making a sumptuous dinner or praise you for babysitting their two little boys over the weekend.

You can give yourself affirmations each day at any time to increase your self-esteem. It is a powerful tool, especially as you face new activities and stress. It enables you to manage tasks at a steady and controlled pace.

How do affirmations work?

1. Select your own affirmation. It could be something like, “I, Sarah, have great hair!” or “I, Greg, skipped that chocolate cookie and feel great!” or “I, Anne, look good in these tight jeans!” It’s best that you say your affirmations in front of the mirror as you repeat the sentence five to six times. Do this every morning as you wash your face or brush your teeth and every evening again as you repeat your routine. Stick with your affirmation for a month before moving on to another one.

Some other ways of saying affirmations are: (These are said while looking in the mirror)

“You approve of yourself.”
“You, David, approve of yourself.”
“I, George, approve of myself.”
“Randolph approves of himself.”

2. Choose one to a few friends whom you can exchange affirmations with whenever you meet. The good thing about this is they get to boost your confidence while you also increase theirs. Giving compliments is the most common form of this type of affirmation exchange. Sometimes you don’t have to coordinate with someone to pay you a compliment in return. Try praising someone about his new shirt or how good she is at badminton. You’ll soon realize affirmations from other people will just come naturally.

3. Make a list about the stuff you’re good at and a list of stuff you can’t change. Remember that you can be great at some things, but there are always matters that you can’t resolve or improve — so don’t fret trying to change. Instead, embrace and accept them because they are a part of you.

List all your talents and favorite activities, like singing, writing or cheering for a favorite band, because these can give your affirmations, from yourself and from others. You can always be good at doing something that you love. As for the stuff you can’t change, like your eye color or height, try to work around them and, instead, accentuate the areas with clothes or colors that bring out your best features.

The point is, you should give yourself affirmations in every aspect of your daily life, and may it be physical, mental, or social. You’ll appreciate yourself more in the process and boost your confidence and self-esteem.

Winning the Rat Race: Surviving Stress

Today’s world is all about instant gratification and moving forward at a dizzying pace, and this can wreak havoc on your health. You dare not get left behind, and in your rush to catch the train or meet the deadline, your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing suffers. Sound familiar?

Though short-term stress is quite healthy and necessary to stimulate your immune system, chronic, or long-term, stress does just the opposite. Your adrenal glands release stress hormones—cortisol in particular—during taxing situations and cortisol is responsible for kicking the immune system into high gear. But when you are bombarded with stress on a continual basis, the body develops a resistance to cortisol and the immune system stops responding, leaving you vulnerable to all sorts of stress-related health problems.

The best way to counter these ill effects is to get enough rest. It is through adequate sleep (at least seven hours every night) that the rising levels of cortisol in the body can be kept in check.

Know when to give yourself a break. At the rate you’re going, you’ll work yourself right into the grave. No one will hold it against you for wanting to take a breather. Do it deeply—not just regular respiration, but actually savoring every breath. Utilize your diaphragm rather than your lungs, and count four to five seconds while inhaling through your nose, and another four to five seconds exhaling through your mouth. Then repeat the exercise ten times. Not only is this a great way to relax but it slows your heart rate and lessens anxiety. It also helps to lower blood pressure.

Another thing that does wonders for blood pressure is to own a pet. Having a canine or feline companion has been known to reduce stress and help overcome depression. Just make sure you’re not allergic.

Learn proper time management. Despite what you may think, there is no such thing as having no time. Everyone has it. Rather, it is how you budget your time that makes all the difference in the world. And if you believe your schedule is getting just a wee bit unmanageable, don’t be afraid to speak up and say so. Prioritize. You don’t have to say yes to every task thrown your way.

Manage your finances. It is a widely known fact that money problems equal a whole lot of stress. Save yourself (and your wallet) the heartache by reading helpful materials on the subject, like “The Six New Rules of Rich” by Oliver Broudy (Men’s Health, March 2007).

Clean up your act. Free yourself and your living space from clutter. Get rid of eyesores you’ve accumulated through the years. Give whatever you no longer need to charity.

Speaking of charity, be more involved in social or civic work. When you expose yourself to the hardships of others, your own problems will seem less burdensome and you will have more courage and energy to face them.

If it can be helped at all, try to stay away from stressful situations. You may be able to give your life some semblance of order, but outside factors could just as easily destroy what you have worked so hard to build. Keep your cool. If you find yourself losing your temper over the slightest altercation, count to ten before retaliating. This will give you time to calm down and address the problem in a more rational manner. Lessen noise. If you can’t do that, then don’t contribute to it. Avoid toxic people as their condition is highly contagious. Of course, we don’t recommend you duck under a table or run for your life each time you cross paths, but don’t allow their overanxious nature to encroach on your own unstressed disposition.

The frenetic rat race that human progress has become exacts a high price, and the finish line is as elusive as ever. But perhaps this is one race where the ideal would be to slow down.

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