Affirmations: What They Are, How They Work, and Who They Help?

Sometimes during a session, I ask a client: “What do you say to yourself about yourself when things get hard?”The answers are often sad: “I can’t do anything,” “Something is wrong with me,” “I ruin everything,” “I’m weak.”These thoughts aren’t just background noise — they influence everything: mood, motivation, self-esteem, and relationships with both the body and other people.

Affirmations are short phrases we repeat to ourselves to retrain our inner dialogue.They can sound like this:

• “I’m doing enough, the best I can under my circumstances.”

• “I am safe.”

• “I can be a source of support for myself.”

• “I deserve care.”

But how does this work? And does it really help? What does science say?

Research in cognitive psychology shows that affirmations activate areas of the brain connected with self-reflection, self-control, and positive self-evaluation (for example, Cascio et al., 2016, NIH study).

Affirmations can:

• Reduce stress levels

• Help us cope more easily with criticism

• Increase resilience to anxiety

• Strengthen the sense of self-worth

Self-affirmations linked to personal values are especially effective. For example: “It’s important to me to take care of my loved ones, and I do this.”

But… do affirmations work for everyone? They are not magic spells.Phrases like “I am amazing!” or “I’m a super-successful person!” can trigger inner resistance if they conflict with real-life experience.

That’s why it’s important to:

• Choose realistic and honest statements

• Avoid “lying to yourself” — instead, rely on facts: “I got through a difficult week,” “I took a step in a direction that matters to me.”

• Practice regularly, rather than relying on occasional bursts of motivation

How to use affirmations:

• Write down 3–5 phrases that resonate with you

• Repeat them in the morning and evening, aloud or silently

• You can keep a journal of them

• Affirmations connected to the body work especially well:“I give myself time to rest.”“My body is my ally.”“I feel that I have support within myself.”

If you want to learn how to become your own support, this is exactly what my work as a somatic therapist is about. In individual sessions, I help you build a stable, caring relationship with yourself — through body, emotions, and awareness.

If this resonates with you, feel free to reach out.