Self Empowering Affirmations to Help Gain Self Confidence and Esteem

Positive affirmations can boost confidence and revive your hibernating self esteem. An affirmation is statement that asserts or confirms facts or the truth about something. It is not simply a thought or feeling, but it has to be expressed and highlighted in some way.

The positive part is drawing out the positive things in the sea of negative thoughts and attitudes we may have developed about ourselves. When we affirm the good things about ourselves and what we have achieved, it is empowering because it builds self confidence and self esteem.

It helps make us feel good about ourselves and this feeds a process where we are more confident, get more things done successfully and have more things to be assertive about. 

This article is about turning the page on negativity, doubt and low self esteem for a more positive and assertive outlook.

It provides a practical guide and great tips for building self confidence.

Turning the Page to Self Confidence and Self Esteem
Turning the Page to Self Confidence and Self Esteem. Source: Public Domain

Why We Feel Bad about Ourselves

Most people occasionally have doubts their ability or feel poorly about themselves and their performance and achievements. This is normal and most people bounce out of it and the smiley face returns.

However, low self-esteem can become a habit and permanent attitude due to depression, anxiety, negative comments from colleagues or loved ones, degrading thinking, ill health, tiredness. It is a fact of life that having a low self esteem is a habit, like being over-weight. It can be changed, it takes a lot of effort, but if you do nothing the habit remain and nothing changes.

Many people go through life with a bad self image that is unjustified and needlessly means that they miss out on the good things in life. If you have no personal goals you may have little to affirm to build self confidence.

Making a Start to Building Self Confidence

If you have major depression issues then it is time to get some help. Being assertive and making positive affirmations may be impossible if you are seriously depressed. Seek professional guidance. 

The first affirmation: Recognise that you are a unique, special and valuable persons who has a lot to offer and contribute. You deserve to feel good about yourself for what you are now, what you can be and what you have achieved in your life.

The second affirmation: Listen to what your body, your feelings, instincts, mind and your heart are telling you. For example:

Tips for Positive Affirmations and Changes in Your Life to Boost Self Confidence and Self Esteem

Change the Environment and Circumstances Pulling You Down

Taking better care of yourself - This can be a major cause of problems as being unfit, unhealthy, overtired, overweight and lack of grooming and being poorly dressed all add up to destroy the chance of feeling good about yourself. Some of the obvious tips are:

Eat good, healthy foods and resist junk foods (foods containing a lot of fat, sugar, salt) - Also try to break the habit of gorging on comfort foods when you are feeling tired, depressed or 'down'.

Regular exercise is known to help improve your mood and stave off feelings of depression - Research has shown that quick intense workouts can be very effective and so there is no need to devote boring hours running on a treadmill. Taking a walk, run, bike ride, swim, playing a sport, climb up and down stairs, and even dancing can make you feels good. 

Maintain your personal hygiene and appearance - You always feel better about yourself by taking regular showers or bathes, washing, trimming your nails, styling your hair, brushing and flossing your teeth. Get a hear cut, a pedicure, a massage a face lift - whatever. 

Dress in clothes that make you feel good about yourself and confidence - Always dress one level above what you think may be required to create a good impression.

Positive Changes to Turn the Page on Negative Attitudes and Bad Habits

Tips for Changing the Negatives into Positives

You may have developed habits and learnt to always give yourself negative feedback in various ways. You may have learnt this from parents, teachers or 'superior' friends. Once you have learned these attitudes they become ingrained and you may find that you repeat them over and over again, and may actually to believe them. This must stop as it can be a major source of feel bad about yourself, lack of confidence. It requires an effort to be more assertive.

Take stock and ask yourself the following questions every time these negative thoughts pop into your head.

The trick to changing negative into positives is partially about language, and the words you use.

Replace negative words and concepts such as

with positive words like

You can actively change your negative thoughts to positive ones by questioning and evaluating every negative thought with a positive one and repeating them out loud if possible.

Some examples are shown below:

Acentuate the Positives

Negative Thought
Positive Thought
I am not worth anything
I am a valuable person
I have never accomplished anything
I have accomplished many things
I always make mistakes.
I do many things well.
I am a jerk.
I am a great person.
I don't deserve a good life.
I deserve to be happy and healthy.
I am stupid.
I am smart.
I'm fat and ugly
I choose to live a healthy life and start to eat healthy food
I'm uninteresting and boring
I have undertaken courses and started reading about interesting things and videos that my friends talk about
If only
I can do that now
I can't decide
I will just do it now




If only you could buy Self Esteem cheaply!
If only you could buy Self Esteem cheaply! Source: Public Domain
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc. Source: Public Domain
How to believe in yourself
How to believe in yourself. Source: Public Domain
Learn to know yourself and what you need
Learn to know yourself and what you need. Source: Public Domain
What is self-assertion
What is self-assertion. Source: Public Domain
How to stop pushing the 'panic' button
How to stop pushing the 'panic' button. Source: Public Domain
How Panic Develops
How Panic Develops. Source: Public Domain
The Panic Cycle and Feed-back Loop
The Panic Cycle and Feed-back Loop. Source: Public Domain
Round and round the panic cycle
Round and round the panic cycle. Source: Public Domain
Symptoms of Panic Attacks
Symptoms of Panic Attacks. Source: Public Domain