Can Positive Affirmations Really Work To Make You Feel and Look Better?

Many people scoff at positive affirmations and hold to the theory that they do not work.  Do they really work?  What are affirmations?

Affirmations are basically a form of self-talk.  Look at this realistically.  Every day, several time each day we talk to ourselves, and no not because we're crazy.  Unfortunately, most of it is negative.  Don't think so?  Let's look at these two scenes:

1) You get in your car in your driveway and you suddenly remember that you left your cell phone in the house, but it's important to have it with you. You immediately start berating yourself on being forgetful and may call yourself harsh names for not placing the phone by your keys as you usually do.
2)  You just got back from the supermarket and as you walk in the door you remember that you forgot to buy the main ingredient for the dessert you wanted to make for dinner.  You could begin to call yourself stupid, you never can remember anything, and quite a bit of negative self-talk.

This type of talk is not up-building,  does not make you feel good, and does nothing for your self-image.

Positive affirmations, on the other hand, affirm the best in you and focus on your good qualities.  They encourage you to improve in areas in which you're having a challenge.  "I'm getting better at remembering things," "Everyday I learn from my mistakes and avoid repeating them."  These are examples of positive affirmations as they help you to see yourself as you would like to be and the goal you are reaching for.

Author, Julia Cameron, notes that "Affirmations are positive statements about positive beliefs.  They help achieve a sense of safety and hope.  If we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change."

What can you affirm about yourself today so you will feel better on the inside and look better on the outside?