The Art of Self-Affirmations in Stressful Times

Can self-affirmations alleviate stress? According to researchers, yes, they can, depending on what form they take. As quoted in the Washington Post, Carnegie Mellon University professor David Creswell says, “It’s not ‘find ways to say how much I like myself’…It’s more about really identifying, in really concrete ways, the kinds of things about you that you really value.” In the same article, Natalie Dattilo, a clinical psychologist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston agrees, “This is about accurately and authentically encouraging yourself or using words of encouragement or acknowledgment that are consistent with your truth.”

The article continues, “The benefits of thinking about important personal values before potentially stressful events are supported by research. Studies have shown that doing simple self-affirming exercises, such as writing about core personal values before a test, raised minority student achievement in school, with some evidence of long-lasting effects.”

In the Exchange Reflections: "Positive Change through Grit and Intention," Robin Levy and Constant Hine provide a pathway for connecting with our values when responding to stressful events, "Now is exactly when we most need to gather our inner grit, heart, compassion and flexibility in order to respond to situations with intention and possibility, rather than reacting from fear in a familiar and habitual manner." They add, "with each tiny step and small choice we make, we model how to change with intention and compassion for the next generation."

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