Many people use negative affirmations without realizing what they’re doing. Your thoughts play a role in how your life plays out, and they impact your overall well-being. It’s harmful in many ways, whether you realize it or not.
Negative affirmations are statements and words that lead to negativity. This non-constructive type of self-talk is severely damaging to your self-esteem and overall outlook on life. While you might not realize that you’re engaging in negative self-talk, you can learn to identify it and address the issue.
Positive affirmations are popular, so you’re likely familiar with those already. However, many people don’t realize that negative affirmations exist, too. Negative phrases work the same way as the positive ones, but they attract negative energy instead of positivity.
Whether you say the phrases aloud or you keep them in your mind, they’re detrimental in many ways. Learning to identify negative affirmations is essential for overcoming them and shifting your mindset. Once you’ve identified it, you can replace it with something positive about your life.
How to Determine If You’re Using Negative Affirmations Without Realizing It
1. You Say Sentences Starting With “I Will Never.”
When you say things similar to this phrase, you’re setting yourself up to be unsuccessful. Whatever you’re saying you’ll never do, you’re probably correct.
So, shift your thought process and tell yourself that you can do anything. Rephrasing the statement allows you to make it a positive thought instead of a self-limiting idea. Nothing is impossible unless you tell yourself it is.
2. You Think Negatively About Yourself
Anytime you experience negative self-talk, it’s an affirmation. These thoughts manifest other negative things in your life. You don’t have to say the words out loud for them to affect your life, so always be aware of your thoughts.
If you often experience negative self-talk, start memorizing positive affirmations to replace them. When you make this beneficial change, you’ll see how detrimental the toxic thoughts were.
3. You Have Negative Thoughts About Money
You might be surprised to know that you can manifest money. However, even more, surprising is that negative thoughts about money can cause you to run into more financial issues.
Anytime you talk or think about money negatively, you only exacerbate the problem. Plus, you start to convince yourself that earning money is hard and that not everyone can do it. This false idea quickly harms your finances as you stop being open to new opportunities.
One big issue is constantly thinking about debt. While you must address the problem, you shouldn’t obsess over it at every moment. Try focusing on your income instead of on your debt and see what a difference it makes.
4. You Talk About Your Problems, Limitations, and Obstacles
When you discuss your limitations with yourself or others, it starts an endless cycle of negative thoughts. Likewise, complaining about the obstacles you’re dealing with can hinder your progress.
While it’s okay to vent, you must know when to stop and let go of the negative thoughts. If you find yourself talking about your problems, limitations, or obstacles, take a moment to refocus. Replace the negative thoughts or comments with positive ones, like how you’ll overcome each issue.
5. You Tell Yourself That You Will Fail
If you ever tell yourself that you can’t do something, you probably won’t be able to do it. This negative affirmation is one of the most detrimental because it holds you back in every way.
Many times, you won’t even attempt because you’ve convinced yourself that you will fail. Other times, you will still have the negative thought on your mind as you try to do something, hindering your success. Your thoughts become your reality, so you must stop telling yourself that you’ll fail.
6. You Can’t Stop Thinking About Your Problems
If you don’t stop thinking about your problems, they’ll never get any better. Think of things in the present that allow you to move forward positively. The negative thoughts only recreate the situation instead of changing it with the help of positivity.
7. You Constantly Tell Yourself That Life is too Hard
Focusing on how hard life can be is sure to hold you back. Telling yourself that things are too hard for you to do limits your abilities instead of letting you push your limits.
When you say phrases like this, you subconsciously give up on whatever task you need to accomplish. Even when things get complicated, it’s never too hard to overcome by finding a creative solution.
8. You Feel Like You Have Bad Luck
If it seems like bad things keep happening to you, you might think you have bad luck. However, it is more likely that you’re manifesting negativity. Pay attention to your thoughts and see if you subconsciously refer to negative thinking. If so, now is the time to shift your mindset.
How Negative Affirmations Hurt You in Life
Negative statements and thoughts make you feel bad and unhappy about your life. They make you feel like you can’t change anything and that you’re stuck where you are right now. When you allow these thoughts to continue, it worsens the problems instead of inspiring a solution.
Not only do negative affirmations exacerbate the problem, but they also invite other harmful things into your life. You teach yourself to expect bad things to happen, and you start subconsciously looking for negative things around you.
Additionally, after hearing negative self-talk often enough, you start to believe what you tell yourself. When you say that you’re bad at something, you’ll begin to feel insecure about your abilities. Likewise, if you tell yourself that you are lazy, you’ll stop doing the things you do now.
Whatever your self-talk is about, you’ll experience a setback in that area of your life. You might even stop trying to do anything because you have convinced yourself that you are a failure. Even if you don’t notice a dramatic effect from your negative thoughts, it’ll still interfere with your happiness and self-appreciation.
Unfortunately, you can’t unthink a negative thought or remove it from your mind. It’s a part of life, but you must learn to overcome it to undo the damage and avoid further harm. Let go of your negative self-talk and embrace positivity instead.
Replacing Negative Affirmations with Positivity
Replacing negative affirmations with positive ones can make all the difference in your life. You’ll notice an overall improvement, and you’ll start to see the good all around you. Positive affirmations are inspiring and encouraging words regarding what you want to happen, receive, or achieve.
Anytime you acknowledge a negative thought, replace it with a positive comment about yourself or your life. If you shift your thoughts each time, it’ll become a habit that helps you get further and feel better. The statements should improve your life and cultivate a positive mindset.
You can also shift your mindset by countering every negative thought you have. For example, you might think about how you don’t make as much money as someone else. You can oppose the ideas by acknowledging that you get to spend more time with your family because your job is less demanding.
When you focus on positivity, you can always counter your negative thoughts. After consciously doing this, you’ll find that you don’t have as many negative thoughts anymore.
Examples of Positive Affirmations
To help you get started on replacing your negative thoughts, here are a few examples of positive affirmations:
- I am capable of getting this job.
- I can get this promotion.
- I’m successful and living up to my full potential.
- I love myself as I am right now, and I embrace my unique qualities.
- I’m attracting positivity into my life.
- I’m enjoying a remarkable career that brings me joy and allows me to have everything I need.
- I know that everything in my life is gradually getting better, and hardship doesn’t last forever.
- I watch for signs from the Universe to guide me forward.
- I’m happy with my life right now, but I continue to improve myself every day.
- I let go of any fear that might hold me back.
- I’m worthy of positive things in my life.
- I choose happiness even when things get complicated.
- I’m excited to become a better version of myself every day.
- I learn from my mistakes, so I have a better chance of success next time.
Are You Using Negative Affirmations Without Realizing It? Here’s How It Hurts
Now that you know how to recognize negative affirmations, you can start making a positive change in your life. Start by addressing the negative thoughts and figuring out how to overcome them. Shift to positive thinking and countering your thoughts and comments.
The more often you challenge your negative thoughts or replace them with positive affirmations, the sooner you’ll see an improvement. Use positive affirmations each morning and night for the best results, and use them anytime you need a boost during the day. As you become more comfortable with positive affirmations, you’ll experience fewer negative thoughts.
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