A LifeCare® Guide

The Power of Positive Thinking

More and more, the power of optimism is Tips for Raising Self-Esteem:
becoming clear. Experts continue to find evi-  Make your meals healthy and special.
dence that our expectations—positive and Eat healthy foods and avoid junk foods
negative—don’t just have psychological (foods containing a lot of sugar, salt, or
effects. They have physical effects as well. fat). Turn off the television, radio, and
Some of the advantages linked to positive stereo when you eat. Set the table, even
thinking include: if you are eating alone. Arrange your
 Less stress food in an attractive way on your plate.
 Better overall physical health If you eat with others, encourage discus-
sion of pleasant topics.
 Better overall emotional health
 Exercise. Moving your body helps you
 Longer lifespan to feel better and improves your self-
 Better coping skills esteem. Arrange a time every day or as
often as possible when you can get some
exercise, preferably outdoors. Note—If
Self-Esteem
you have a health problem that may
The most fundamental manifestation of posi- restrict your ability to exercise, check
tive thinking in our daily lives is the concept with your doctor before beginning or
of self-esteem or self-confidence. changing your exercise habits.
A positive self-image is integral to leading a  Take time to do things you enjoy.
healthy life. Studies have shown that people Make a list of things you enjoy doing.
who have confidence in themselves are better Then do something from that list every
able to problem solve and make decisions, day. Add to the list anything new that
take risks and assert themselves, and work you discover you enjoy doing.
towards personal goals. They have healthier
and stronger relationships with others. This  Engage in activities that make use of
allows them to lead and enjoy healthier, more your own special talents and abilities.
productive and more fulfilling lives. If you are good with your hands, then
make things for yourself, family, and
Most people have a bad day, or feel blue, friends. If you like animals, consider
from time to time. However, people who suf- having a pet or spending time with
fer from low self-esteem feel bad about them- friends’ pets.
selves most, or all, of the time. These feelings
prevent them from enjoying and making the  Do things that make you feel good
most of their lives and having healthy rela- about your appearance. Dress in a way
tionships with others. In addition, people that makes you feel good about how you
with a poor self-image may be less likely to look. If you have little money to spend
take good care of or treat themselves well. on new clothes, check out thrift stores
And low self-esteem often leads to stress and in your area. Do personal hygiene tasks
anxiety—which can dramatically affect your that make you feel better—things like
physical and mental health. styling your hair, getting a haircut or
getting a manicure.
 Spend time with people who make Positive Thinking Techniques
you feel good about yourself—people There are things you can do to help you
who treat you well. Try to avoid people think more positively.
who treat you badly.
 Make your living space a place that Self-Talk
honors the person you are. Whether One technique that will help you think more
you live in a single room, a small apart- positively is to become aware of your negative
ment, or a large home, make that space “self talk” and replace negative thoughts with
comfortable and attractive for you. If positive ones. You may be giving yourself
you share your living space with others, negative messages about yourself. Many peo-
have some space that is just for you—a ple do. Most people believe these messages,
place where you can keep your things no matter how untrue or unreal they are. The
and know that they will not be dis- messages tend to imagine the worst in every-
turbed and that you can decorate any thing, especially you, and they are hard to
way you choose. turn off or unlearn. You may think these
thoughts or give yourself these negative mes-
 Display items that you find attractive sages so often that you are hardly aware of
or that remind you of your achieve- them. The following exercise can help you
ments or of special times or people in become aware of your internal “self talk” and
your life. If cost is a factor, use your make it more positive.
creativity to think of inexpensive or free
ways that you can add to the comfort  Pay attention to your thoughts. Some
and enjoyment of your space. people say they notice more negative
thinking when they are tired, sick, or
 Take advantage of opportunities to dealing with a lot of stress. As you
learn something new or improve your become aware of your negative
skills. Take a class or go to a seminar. thoughts, you may notice more and
Many adult education programs are free more of them.
or very inexpensive. For those that are
more costly, ask about a possible schol-  Write down negative thoughts. Carry a
arship or fee reduction. small pad with you as you go about
your daily routine for several days and
 Begin doing those things that you jot down negative thoughts about your-
know will make you feel better about self whenever you notice them.
yourself—like going on a diet, begin-
ning an exercise program or keeping  Develop positive statements to replace
your living space clean. negative ones
 Make it a point to treat yourself well o Use positive words such as happy,
every day. Before you go to bed each peaceful, loving, enthusiastic, and warm.
night, write about how you treated o Avoid negative words such as worried,
yourself well during the day. o frightened, upset, tired, bored, not,
You will find that you will continue to learn o never, can’t.
new and better ways to take care of yourself. o Always use the present tense, e.g., “I
As you incorporate these changes into your o am healthy, I am well, I am happy, I
life, your self-esteem will continue to o have a good job,” as if the condition
improve. o already exists.
o Personalize the statements, direct
o them towards yourself, e.g., use I, me,
o or your own name
 Replace the negative thought with the  The five greatest achievements in your
positive whenever you catch yourself life so far, like recovering from a serious
thinking negative thoughts illness, graduating from high school, or
 Reinforce the positive thought learning to use a computer
o Repeat the positive thought over and  At least 20 accomplishments—they can
over to yourself, out loud whenever be as simple as learning to tie your
you get a chance or write the positive shoes, to getting an advanced college
thought over and over degree
o Share the positive thought with  10 ways you can “treat” or reward your-
o another person who can affirm that self that don’t include food and that
o the positive is true and who can also don’t cost anything, such as walking in
o help you reinforce the thought woods, window-shopping, watching
children playing on a playground, gaz-
o Make signs that say the positive ing at a baby’s face or at a beautiful
o thought and place them in places flower, or chatting with a friend
o where you will see them often
 10 things you can do to make yourself
Changing the negative thoughts you have laugh
about yourself to positive ones takes time and
persistence. If you use this technique consis-  10 things you could do to help someone
tently for four to six weeks, you will notice else
that you don’t think these negative thoughts  10 things that you do that make you
about yourself as much. If they recur at some feel good about yourself
other time, you can repeat these activities.
Don’t give up. You deserve to think good Additional Positive Thinking Techniques
thoughts about yourself!
Appreciation Exercise
Affirming Lists
 Title a piece of paper “I like (your
Making lists, rereading them often, and name) because:”
rewriting them from time to time will help
you to feel more positively about yourself. If  Have loved ones write appreciative
you have a journal, you can write your lists statements about you
there. If you don’t, any piece of paper will do.  Accept these statements as true
Make a list of:
 Re-read often
 At least five of your strengths, for exam-
ple, persistence, courage, friendliness, Self-Esteem Calendar
creativity  Make a list of small things you can
 At least five things you admire about do each day that will make you
yourself, for example the way you have happy
raised your children, your good rela-  Mark down one of those things for
tionship with your brother, or your each day in the calendar
spirituality
 Commit to doing that one thing
each day
Positive Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements that you
can make about yourself that make you feel
better about yourself. They describe ways you
would like to feel about yourself all the time.
They may not, however, describe how you
feel about yourself right now.
Make a list of your own affirmations. Keep
this list in a handy place, like your pocket or
purse. You may want to make copies of your
list so you can have them in several different
places of easy access. Whenever you can,
Read aloud the affirmations over and over.
Share them with others when you feel like it.
Write them down from time to time. As you
do this, the affirmations tend to gradually
become true for you. You gradually come to
feel better and better about yourself. Each
person’s affirmations will be individual and
unique. However, the following examples of
affirmations may help you in making your
own list of affirmations:
 I feel good about myself
 I take good care of myself. I eat right,
get plenty of exercise, do things I enjoy,
get good health care, and attend to my
personal hygiene needs
 I spend my time with people who are
nice to me and make me feel good
about myself
 I am a good person
 Many people like me
Don’t expect change overnight. But the more
you engage in positive thinking, the more
you’ll realize how much happiness is under
your control.

This publication is for general informational purposes only and is not intended
to provide any reader with specific authority, advice or recommendations.

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