Outline: How Positive Affirmations Work | Does It Help? | Science Behind Positive Affirmations | How Positive Affirmations Reduce Stress and Anxiety | Affirmations in the Workplace | Benefits of Positive Affirmations in the Workplace | Final Thoughts

Positive affirmations for anxiety are potent tools to increase productivity and live our best lives. Why? Because the things you tell yourself matter. The internal conversation we hold with ourselves in our minds directs our confidence, productivity, and sense of self.

Positive affirmations are brief, straightforward, and overtly positive statements. Repetition of these affirmations encourages favorable changes in your life. 

It promotes a manner of positive thinking that strengthens self-empowerment and achievement. Affirmations enable goal manifestation. They are a key element in attaining the dreams and experiences we desire. 

However, it’s not enough to make change happen if you want to achieve your goals. You need to walk the walk. Not just talk the talk. That is the hidden power in the science behind affirmations for anxiety, stress, and productivity. 

When used consistently, they rewire your brain to help you overcome the barriers that stand in the way. There are many benefits of affirmations for confidence in overcoming anxiety and increasing productivity at work. 

How Positive Affirmations Work

The power of positive affirmations lies in their ability to combat negativity. Our mindset is one of the most critical factors to success as it influences how we view events happening in our lives. 

While it impacts how we interact and respond to those events, it also directs our motivation and perseverance, influencing responsibility for our life’s path.

Related Read: Check out the reasons why mindset is everything!

Let’s consider your mind as a garden. The flowers and plants that you tend to (have enough sun, water, and protection from pests) will flourish. Our thoughts are the same. 

Those that we tend to are the thoughts that will grow. If we give our attention to negative thoughts, they will multiply like weeds and crowd out positive thoughts. 

Using positive affirmations sets the intention to pay more attention to our thoughts. It is a concerted effort to repeat positive, affirming statements. Focusing on the positive makes us more mindful of our thoughts overall. 

This improved awareness helps us to recognize when negative thoughts are present. Enhanced consciousness strengthens the ability to combat unhealthy thinking that sabotages success and positive growth. 

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Wayne Dyer.

We are what we repeatedly tell ourselves. Essentially, our mind and willpower are closely connected. The same is true for our emotional wellness. 

There is a significant impact on our wellness when we allow negative or self-degrading thoughts to persist in our minds. It creates a negative mood, decreasing hope for the future. Worst of all, our sense of self suffers. 

Can Positive Affirmations Help Us?

How we choose to talk to ourselves and the messages we tell ourselves have the power to change our lives for the better. Every thought we allow creates a chemical reaction in our brain. And this reaction triggers an emotion. 

Scientific research demonstrates that consistent use of self-confidence affirmations improves our sense of self-worth. It also enhances our core values, those concepts we hold deep inside about who we are.

The Science Behind Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are not just quirky, magical shifts in energy. Scientific data proves that practicing positive affirmations can build and restore self-competence. Psychologists call this the “self-affirmation theory.” 

This theory builds on the idea that our brains can form and reorganize connections. Our brains change and adapt based on learning and experience. This ability to adjust and change is “brain plasticity.” 

Research shows positive affirmations can improve the ability to reorganize our brains intentionally. If we could not do this, we would never be able to learn anything new!

Positive affirmations take advantage of the brain’s plasticity. Repeating the desired outcome supports our belief that it will come true. This strengthens those regions of the brain we need when taking action toward our goals. 

When we see something as achievable, our minds stop giving so much value to the barriers. When we convince our brains that something positive is true, it finds ways to make it happen. 

We can SEE these physical changes in the mind! With an MRI scan, researchers found that when a person practices positive affirmations, neural connections in the brain area associated with the sense of self-worth increase. Essentially, teaching ourselves to like ourselves more, just with the power of affirming statements!

How Positive Affirmations Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Positive affirmations are commonly taught in therapeutic settings. The benefits of positive affirmations, however, go beyond people struggling with significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. The negative impact of stress and anxiety can have dire consequences at our jobs, and affirmations can help.  

The World Health Organization defines stress as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. However, stress is healthy in many ways; it helps our bodies tell us to pay attention to stressful events and take action. And how we choose to respond to that stress can also impact our overall well-being.

Can Positive Affirmation for Anxiety or Stress Help in the Work Place?

Work is often the primary source of stress and anxiety in our lives, especially for small business owners. A recent Gallup poll found that stress and worry for small business owners have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic.

But can positive affirmations for work have an impact on stress? Yes! Research demonstrates that positive affirmations benefit us by decreasing stress and anxiety to improve productivity, confidence, and creativity at work.

Focus affirmations are powerful tools to fight against anxiety and stress at work. This type of affirmation targets the distractions that anxiety and stress create at work. When we feel overwhelmed, our work performance suffers. Focus affirmations target this area, boosting productivity. 

How to Create Focus Affirmations for Productivity

How do we create focus affirmations for productivity? Easy, use the three “P’s.”

1. Positive
2. Present
3. Personal 

First, the statement must be positive. Avoid words like “can’t” or “don’t.” We need to create an affirmation that frames what we want, not what we don’t want. For example, “I won’t be distracted by stress at work” focuses the attention on the negative, distraction, and stress. Instead, use “I am focused and calm at work.”

Next, focus on the present. We want to influence the present moment, not the future. Avoid affirmations that start with “I will.” Instead, frame the declaration to the present, even if it’s not 100% valid yet — “I am confident and persistent.” 

Finally, make the affirmation personal. The change you are focusing on is about you. So, if you want a promotion at work, say, “I am qualified and ready for the next step in my career path.” This focuses on your strengths, unlike a statement like “My boss will see my hard work and promote me.”

6 Benefits of Positive Affirmations in the Workplace

1. Mindset Shift

Affirmations for work help create a mindset of growth and positivity. They direct your focus on your strengths and goals, helping you fight against negative thoughts that create stress and anxiety.

Example: “I will celebrate each goal I reach with joy and gratitude.”

2. Builds Confidence

By repeating focus affirmations, you build the confidence to overcome obstacles at work. Your focus shifts from what you cannot control to your skill and ability to accomplish tasks.

Example: “I have the capacity to free myself from doubt.”

3. Improves Work Performance

If you affirm your best qualities, your tolerance for stress and anxiety strengthens. Moreover, you improve focus and goal direction by changing how you see stress.

Example: “I thrive on hard work.”

4. Reduces Stress Levels

As positive affirmations for productivity can help you shift your mindset, you improve your capacity to handle stress. You gain confidence, find self-assurance in your abilities and increase your capacity for problem-solving. These skills enhance your stress tolerance, resulting in less anxiety. 

Example: “I am confident and persistent. I can do hard things.”

5. Enhances Mental Wellbeing

The starting benefit of affirmations is the induction of positivity in your life. When you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you gain control of your well-being. Your behavior, attitude, and sense of self shift to bring confidence and motivation. 

Example: “I am strong in mind, body, and spirit.”

6. Changes in Negative Habits

Using positive affirmations for anxiety fosters self-awareness. You are empowered to take control and push back on negative habits in action and thoughts. Your self-worth grows, and you make better decisions in your personal and professional life.

Example: “I am free to make changes in my life.”

Final Thoughts

You have the power to take charge of your life. Success at work and in life lies in the narrative you allow to play in your mind. Positive affirmations benefit us by decreasing stress and anxiety to improve productivity, confidence, and creativity at work. You’ve got this. 

Live, love, take chances,

Melissa