Want to use affirmations to increase self confidence? To better embed, strong, empowering messages in your mind, that tackle your low self esteem? Then you’ve come to the right place! Here’s 101 uplifting affirmations for low self esteem, why you should use them, and how to create your own. So let’s start from the top, shall we?
What Are Affirmations?
So first off – what are affirmations? Well, essentially, they’re short, powerful statements or phrases that are repeated, consistently, to help you foster particular beliefs or challenge negative / unhelpful thoughts.
Now you may think, “just saying something doesn’t make it true!” and this is true. However, affirmations are still incredibly powerful – and that’s something that’s proved by science.
See, a study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (1) used MRI to reveal that:
“practising self-affirmation activates the reward centres in your brain.”
How Can They Improve Self Esteem?
By knowing the power of affirmations, you’re able to see how they can improve self-esteem.
I mean, sure, saying, “I am confident” may not automatically make you FEEL and ACT confidently. There’s no instant quick-fix.
But (and this is a big but!) – it will light up the same reward system in your brain, that would be triggered if you WERE confident (as a result of a big win, or something similar!)
Affirmations therefore fire up your neural pathways and makes changes to the areas of the brain that make you happy and positive…
And when you’re in that state, you’re able to better do the things you need to do, to work through that low self esteem. (Hence why they’re such a great tool!)
Affirmations are also easy to use, and simple to add into your day, so there’s really no reason not to use them. It’s all about being your own best-friend, helping to lift yourself up, and overcome your low self esteem.
So, What Are Affirmations For Low Self Esteem?
Now, we know what affirmations are and that they really can improve self esteem. But what are affirmations for low self esteem?
After all, there’s endless options for different affirmations, but how do you know which ones will be the most beneficial for improving self esteem? (You can’t just say any old one, right?! Right!)
Well, let’s take it back a step and look at what self-esteem is. See, my definition…
Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves. When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us better able to deal with life’s ups and downs. When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light.
For this reason, self esteem affirmations are ones which specifically address how you currently see yourself and how you want to see yourself.
It’s why positive mindset affirmations are also super helpful if you’re looking to improve your self esteem – as the more positively you’re able to think, the easier it is to start to improve your self esteem.
How To Create Affirmations For Low Self Esteem
When it comes to how to create affirmations for low self esteem, you want to:
- Look at where your insecurities lie.
- Recognise & address your burning negative thoughts / beliefs.
- Challenge the negative thoughts / beliefs with affirmations.
- And create new, empowering mantras to replace them.
Now, remember, the thoughts you currently have, which feed your low self esteem, are likely to be pretty deeply embedded. This means that you may need to build your affirmations up, as your self esteem begins to improve. For example:
Let’s say you have an insecurity around your intelligence. You think you’re pretty dumb! If you were to create an affirmation saying, “I’m the smartest person in the world”, well, there’s no chance you’d believe it. But if you created one that said, “I am smarter than I think”, you’re more likely to believe it and be able to build on it.
Your self esteem affirmations should also be paired with “proof”. After all, it’s not about trying to kid yourself into believing things that aren’t true, but instead, shifting your perspective and changing your views.
So if you struggle to believe an affirmation because of low self esteem:
- Grab a diary / notepad, or open a new “notes” tab on your phone.
- Whatever you use, make sure you can refer back to it easily.
- In this book / tab, you want to write all the things that CHALLENGE your old belief and all the “evidence” that shows your new belief is actually true.
- This you can re-read (or add to!) every time you repeat your affirmation for low self esteem; therefore giving it more strength and meaning. It helps them c
By doing this, it helps your affirmations for low self esteem to then get embedded faster and easier in your mind. (Which is just what we want / need!)
101 Affirmations For Low Self Esteem
So now we’ve explained the power of using affirmations for low self esteem, and how you can create your own – let’s finish off with our master list of 101 affirmations for low self esteem, to inspire you!
Have a read, see which ones particularly resonate with you, and which you want to embed into your own belief system. You can also tweak them for the best possible fit, or swap and change them each month.
It’s all about finding what works best for you. So play around with it!
Affirmations For Low Self Esteem
In no particular order then, here’s our affirmations for low self esteem…
1) I am stronger, smarter and far more beautiful, than I think.
2) I am 100% capable of doing this. And I WILL do this.
3) I am happy that I am me, and feel happy in myself.
4) I am proud of the person I am becoming, and the way in which I act.
5) There’s no such thing as failure. It’s all simply learning and growing experiences.
6) I am, and have always been, worthy.
7) I am, and have always been, enough.
8) Slowly but surely, I am growing into the person I truly want to me; the person I truly am inside.
9) I refuse to apologise for who I am.
10) I am going to go on to do, experience and achieve, truly incredible things.
11) I’m extremely capable – more capable than I even realise.
12) I believe in myself. And I SHOULD believe in myself. Because I KNOW I can do this.
13) I refuse to let anyone ever make me question myself or my worth.
14) I back myself, completely.
15) Stepping outside my comfort zone is a good thing – it’s what’s going to help me to continue to grow.
Let’s Keep Them Coming…
16) I can control my reality, and get to where I want to be.
17) I can do anything I put my mind to, I just need to have the courage to go for it.
18) Today is a new day, a fresh opportunity, to be whoever I want to be.
19) I am talented, smart and skilful.
20) I am confident in my abilities.
21) My limiting beliefs will no longer hold any power over me.
22) I don’t need to apologise for who I am.
23) I know I can get through whatever life throws at me.
24) There is nothing that I cannot overcome.
25) I know my own value and worth.
26) I do not need validation from others, but instead – genuine self-love and self-acceptance from within.
27) Day by day, bit by bit, I am creating the dream life that I deserve.
28) I choose to trust the process.
29) I know that my future is bright.
30) Every day I will do my best and know that my best IS good enough.
Affirmations For Low Self Esteem
31) I am surrounded by love and support.
32) I am valued by so many people.
33) This is simply part of my journey. And I’m not standing still.
34) I deserve to be happy and will do everything I can, today and every day, to feel happy in myself.
35) I appreciate and accept, who I am, for everything and all that I am.
36) Everything I need to succeed, is within me.
37) I am in full control of my life and my mind.
38) I will no longer let negative self-talk knock me down.
39) There’s no place for insecurities in my life or mind.
40) I do not need to be afraid.
41) I don’t have to be perfect; I just need to be myself.
42) The right people will see my value, and stay in my life.
43) The right people will love me for me.
44) Self-love is everything, and I will continue to work on it, today and every day.
45) I deserve to be loved the way that I want and need.
Let’s Keep Them Coming…
46) I will not settle for anything less than I deserve.
47) My standards and expectations are not unrealistic.
48) I commit to continuously learning to love myself.
49) I feel good about myself… And so I should!
50) I love the way that I look.
51) I’m proud of the way that I act.
52) Nobody has the right to make me feel less worthy.
53) I can leave anything that isn’t good for me… Without having to feel bad.
54) I don’t need to overanalyse.
55) I trust myself and my judgement.
56) My feelings and emotions are perfectly valid.
57) I’m learning and growing, more and more, every day.
58) I’m going to go into this with my head held high.
59) I feel strong, powerful and confident.
60) I’m a beautiful person – both inside and out.
Affirmations For Low Self Esteem
61) I’m unique and special, in the best of ways.
62) There’s nobody else like me.
63) I am worthy of love; I am worthy of happiness and I am worthy of success.
64) There’s genuinely nothing out of my reach.
65) I’m doing well, and should feel proud of myself.
66) It’s okay if every day is not a good day.
67) It’s okay to struggle sometimes.
68) I’m getting through this and should hold my head high.
69) This is just one chapter in my story.
70) I am more than what has happened to me.
71) I will not be defined by my past.
72) My past has only helped to shape me into the incredible person that I am now.
73) Whatever I focus on, I feel.
74) My positive mind is going to attract more positive things into my life.
75) Today is going to be a good day for me.
Let’s Keep Them Coming…
76) The most important person in my life is ME.
77) I am not below anyone. We are all equal and worthy.
78) If someone else has done it, I can do it.
79) There’s no reason for me to have lower confidence than anyone else.
80) I’m an incredible person!
81) I’m a GOOD person! And good always wins in the end!
82) I accept myself for who I am, as I am.
83) My happiness matters the most to me.
84) It’s okay for me to prioritise me!
85) I’m going to put myself first, because I deserve to be put first.
86) Today is the day for positive change.
87) I forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve made.
88) Every day, I can only strive to be a better version of me.
89) My flaws make me, me.
90) I’m genuine, real and pure.
Affirmations For Low Self Esteem
91) I commit to feeling the way I want to feel about myself.
92) I commit to being the person I want to be.
93) There is absolutely no reason for me to NOT have confidence in myself!
94) Today’s the day, I choose to live the way I want to.
95) Today’s the day, I’m going to act with complete confidence.
96) I [can] feel full, and whole.
97) I’ve built an amazing life, that I deserve, and need to remember and appreciate.
98) There is so much for me to feel thankful for… And that’s what I choose to focus on.
99) My voice is important.
100) Today and every day, I will act with loving kindness to myself.
101) I matter. I really do matter.
That’s All For This One
So there we have it – 101 uplifting affirmations for low self esteem, why they work and how to create your own.
I hope you’ve found this valuable.