Does positive affirmation work do you think?

[Grabbber]

Not sure if positive affirmation is the right term, but basically, does telling yourself good things about yourself actually help?

I’m taking lockdown as an opportunity to work on my self esteem. I’m trying to look in the mirror every morning and to say nice things about me self! I feel really silly doing it though!

I guess it should work - after all, if you repeat a lie often enough you eventually come to believe it’s the truth. Has anyone done this (the positive affirmation not the lying!) and changed how they feel about themselves?

I think it works but you don't have to do that mirror thing. You have to watch your words and thoughts and stop yourself being negative at all.

That includes saying things about other people or services.

So you think "Oh no! I forgot the potatoes! God I'm stupid!" you have to think NO...I'm NOT stupid....I work hard and I'm tired and I forgot which is fine.

And then add more positive thoughts about yourself.

Bitching about others is equally damaging.

I can't bring myself to do positive affirmations, but I do notice a bit of an upswing if I am successful in not letting myself do the opposite (standing in front of the mirror saying "you fucking ugly cow", telling myself I am an idiot, reminding myself that no one really likes me, etc). So positive thoughts would probably be even more effective :)

I think I’m generally very positive about everyone and everything else. It’s just myself feel negative about. I know why as well, but can’t change that.

Iwalk let’s ditch the mirror together and work on being nice to ourselves :)

I think it works. Thought I would hate Paul McKenna but listening to his make you thin cd helped. He says imagination is more powerful than will and I believe that.

Use the present tense, I am...a slim, fit, healthy woman, for example.
I repeat a few when I'm jogging.

Grabber OK, it's a deal!

I would agree with FortunesFave.

Even your explanation, which refers to a lie, I am not sure would be very helpful. The most useful work I ever came across on self esteem was by Gillian Riley, I have lots of her books, and did a workshop with her, too

Yes, what do you mean by lying OP?

Sometimes

Fortune I was thinking about my mother when I spoke of lying. There are several episodes from my early teens where she did pretty damaging things to me. But she swears blind these things didn’t happen. They did, I know they did. I think she’s spent so long rewriting history (or lying) that she now genuinely believes her version of events.