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Facing different obstacles in life can be a difficult task. We all go through those moments of hardship, doubt, and disappointment. Positive support systems are key to helping us maneuver through these struggles. They often times serve as our cheerleaders on the sidelines, However, while we’d love for them to be there for every moment, in hindsight, this just isn’t possible. Often times your biggest cheerleader in life comes down to you. And this is where self-encouragement comes into play.
What is Self Encouragement
Self-encouragement is the ability to believe in yourself and your power to overcome your limitations in life. It acts as a positive force that allows you to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses as well as those things that you’ve accomplished rather than your failures.
Self-encouragement, when practiced, serves as that inner support system that allows you to achieve the goals in life whether that be physical, mental, or logical.
What are the Benefits of Self Encouragement
So now that we have a better understanding of what self-encouragement is, you’re probably asking yourself “why do we need it?” or “what are the benefits of it?”
Well, we need self-encouragement as a way to help maintain a more balanced mental health and sense of belief within ourselves. It can give someone the inner support and confidence to tackle life as a whole. So here are some other ways it can benefit you:
- Provides a more optimistic outlook
- Less stress and distress
- Better physical well-being
- Stronger peace of mind
- Builds your self-esteem
- Reduces your anxiety
- More satisfaction in life
- Eliminates negative thoughts
- Increase in energy (an energy booster)
These benefits and more can lead to an abundance of positive outcomes which can provide a strong growth from within. And in the world we live in, we all could use a boost in our lives.
How Do You Practice Self Encouragement
Well, one of the biggest ways you could find self-encouragement is through a little something we call Self-talk. Self-talk is a series of positive words, phrases, or quotes that we say to ourselves as a way of encouragement. Sort of like that positive pep talk to your inner self that we all need.
For some, self-talk comes easily. They have managed to make it a part of their lives and use it on a daily basis to help them tackle life’s challenges. But for others who may find it difficult to self encourage, this can prove to be a difficult trait to pick up. It could prove to be discouraging. However, like all other things in life, there are ways to build yourself up into that self encourager that you see within you.
Here are 6 Ways to Build Your Self Encouragement
Self-encouragement could take some practice, especially if you’re not used to seeing yourself in a positive space. To help get an idea, here are some ways you could start to build a routine for your self-encouragement.
1. Begin to make it a habit of using positive words to describe yourself
By having more negative words than positive words in our vocabulary, this could lead to negative self-talk which is not encouraging to the mind. So practice ways of replacing those negative words with positive ones. For example, use words such as grateful, empowered, motivated, appreciate, and loved to help cancel out those negative words that surround your mind.
Positive words lead to a positive mood which leads to a more balanced mental state of mind.
2. Focus on your successes and use your failures as a learning tool
When we’re in a negative space, we tend to focus on the things that we’ve failed at during that time. By focusing on our failures, this could elevate your feelings of disappointment within yourself and affect your ability to try again or trying anything.
So why not turn those failures into learning tools? By telling yourself afterward something like “I tried my best and I’m proud of myself”, your focus can shift to a lighter mood when accepting your failures. While we can’t take away the hurt we may feel, we can soften the blow.
And by turning that failure into positive self-talk, it can free up your mind more and more to focus on the successes in your life. And your successes will only make your inner self stronger.
3. Replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts
Often times we tend to think the worst thoughts of ourselves. This way of thinking can discourage us from seeing things from a lighter perspective, giving us a sense of “Why bother?” attitude
Let’s try replacing your negative with positive. It’s like training your brain to rethink the initial thought to work as a positive. For example, taking the negative “I’ll never be good enough to do that” and turning it into the positive “I’m going to give it my all.”
It’s all about retraining your mind to think the best of yourself by using the alternative side of a negative.
4. Surround yourself with positive people
A good way to be more self encouraging is to surround yourself with positive people. Positive people tend to release positive energy that can be contagious. They will be the ones who can guide and support you and are prime examples of a different outlook.
While it may be difficult to completely separate yourself from those that are negative around you, having 1 to 3 positive people around can help your outlook within yourself start to change.
Surrounding yourself with more positive people in return makes you feel better about yourself both on the inside and outside. And this can only add to your self-encouragement towards yourself as you get to see firsthand how to build your confidence in yourself further up.
You can read about how surrounding myself with more positive people has helped me strive for more self-encouragement in my post, The Support Factor.
5. Compare yourself to you and only you
We’ve all been guilty of comparing ourselves to someone else. And oftentimes, that comparison to someone else could lead to a feeling of negativity about yourself.
However, by staying focused on your accomplishments and goals, you could start to eliminate that urge to keep yourself from falling into those negative traps. Once you can see that each person is unique in their own way then it makes it’s okay to see yourself that way.
By appreciating and understanding those we compare ourselves to while maintaining the focus on ourselves, your view of comparison can begin to fade. And you will grow a greater appreciation for your own encouragement to be the person you want to be in life.
6. Practice using daily affirmations
Affirmations are a way to affirm to yourself a positive outlook. They are positive statements that you can use to challenge your negative statements that you feel about yourself.
Whether it’s after you wake up or before you go to bed, affirmations are like that little boost of confidence on your shoulder. I’ve found that a great way to make them a part of your daily routine is to stand in front of a mirror and say your affirmation 3 to 5 times to yourself. By doing so, you begin to build up a belief within you that states how important you are.
It may sound simple for just about anyone but for others, building a routine can prove to be difficult at times especially when you’re dealing with your mental health or outside interferences. Hence, why sticking to it as a routine could make those harder days easier to turn around. But with practice, anything is possible. So start with 1 affirmation in the beginning and work your way up.
Some Examples of Positive Affirmations You Can Use
- I matter and my life has value
- I am successful in all that I do
- This day will be better than the last
- I am the captain of my ship, the leader of my domain
- I can do anything I put my mind to
- Good things will come my way
- I am loved for who I am
- I am beautiful on the inside and outside
- Only I can write the next page in my book of life
- Today and every day I choose to be happy
- My happiness is important
- I can conquer anything
- I believe in myself
- Time is on my side
- I love myself
For examples and ideas of more affirmations, visit The Blissful Mind
Why is it Important to be Your Biggest Cheerleader
I am a huge believer in words being a powerful tool that we all have. History has shown that negative words and thoughts produce negative feelings. While the same could be said about positive ones leading to positive feelings.
Words were meant to invoke a reaction, spark a feeling from within. So why not use them to encourage yourself?
By using a more positive dialogue with yourself, you form a bond of confidence and trust within. And that confidence and trust can make you a stronger person who is capable of handling those difficult tasks.
Encouraging words from others when used correctly is not a bad thing to have either. And when you add that with self-encouragement, you have a formula of a more positive outlook on your life. So practice being nicer to yourself. Give a warm compliment on today’s outfit or a nice “well done” after completely something at work. Whatever it is, self-encouragement can go a long way.
We all want to feel good inside and by reassure ourselves that we are important, we can do it and a list of other encouraging things, we in return are able to live like the person we dream to be.
Oh and my personal affirmation: “I am loved, I am important, I can do it.” What would yours be? Leave a comment below and feel free to share.
Until next time, this is Tammy saying keep strong, keep positive and NOTHING is impossible!!!
I love this so much and it coikdnt come at a better time for me! Positive thoughts along with positive self talk can really go a long way once you are consistent enough with it. You have to also believe those thoughts as well, and this belief will help to keep you in a healthy mindframe. Thanks for sharing this great post!
You’re exactly right. Thinking and believing it goes hand and hand. And once you have it down as a routine, it gets easier to believe more positive thoughts. Thank you and I’m glad that this post came to you at the right time 🙂
I love this! It is so important to encourage ourselves, but also so difficult to keep from falling into the trap of negative self-talk. These are great suggestions to help one stay positive and become their biggest cheerleader. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for reading my post, Tiffany. And you’re right. It is so easy to fall into that trap. That’s why routines are so important. I’m learning myself that the more I talk myself out of thinking that way, the less time I spend in those negative self-talk.
Your post moved me to tears. Perhaps because I really needed this advice. Beautiful post, Tammy, super helpful. I want to be my biggest cheerleaders from now on!
Thank you for reading my post, LIa. And I’m so glad that it helped you. Trust me, you are not alone in what you feel. It does take time and work but you can do it and you will get there. Keep me posted on your updates 🙂
Hi Tammy. I couldn’t agree more. I think that a positive outlook is so important, and that starts with the way that you see yourself. I guess that I’m quite lucky, I’ve never had to make a conscious effort to think positively, it’s just the way I am – my ‘inner voice’ nearly always puts a positive spin on things.
The ‘surround yourself with positive people’ tip can be tricky. I know Arnold Schwarzenneger famously did this and just completely cut out anybody who was negative. That’s OK if you are in a position to be able to do it, but if the ‘negative nellies’ are people that you work with then I imagine that can be quite tough (short of quitting, and that’s not always an option). What would you suggest in those circumstances?
Thank you for reading my post, Richie. That is great that you’re able to self encourage. It is something that I work on every day. As for an answer to your question, a place like a workplace, although you see these people the majority of the time during the week, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a positive outlook. Surrounding yourself with more positive people than negative is more based on your personal life rather than your work life. I’m currently in a situation where a lot of my coworkers speak negatively around me and it has affected me some. But that’s where I reach out to those who have brought positivity to my life lately for a boost whether that’s through a text message or a phone call on my lunch break. There’s always going to be negative people around but the idea for someone who struggles with a lack of confidence within themselves is to have more of a presence of positive people there to let them see there’s another side to life. I hope that answered your question some 🙂
These suggestions are so spot on. I’m also in the mental health field and my spirit felt lifted as I was reading your post. Thanks so much for sharing
Thank you Rebekah and thank you for the kind words. Coming from someone in the mental health field, this means a lot. I’m so glad this was able to put you in good spirits 🙂
Your suggestions for becoming our own cheerleader are very helpful. Thank you for this wonderful and inspiring post!
Thank you Tiffany for reading my post. I appreciate the kind words. We all need a cheerleader in life and the best 1 should be ourselves.
Lovely post. I was so happy while reading this because I already practice most of the tips like surrounding myself with positive people, thinking positive thoughts, using affirmations and the rest and they really make me feel better about myself.
That’s so wonderful. I’m so glad that you have that positive atmosphere around you. Thank you again for taking the time to read my post!
Great post! This is something that, for me personally, was very hard and has taken me years to get into the habit of doing. Even now, from time to time, it’s still difficult to practice self-encourage but all I can do is try!
This is such a good post! I’ve got into using affirmations and find they make a massive difference!
Thank you Lauren. And that’s so wonderful that you’ve started to use affirmations. I had just came across them this year and have been using them as well. There’s nothing like a inner self positive boost. I do appreciate you reading my post.
This is such a beautiful and inspiring post.
Thank you Paulina for reading my post. I truly do appreciate it.
Wonderful post and I agree with everything you said. It all starts with reframing our way of thinking. Thanks for sharing.
I really need to become a better cheerleader for myself, as I’m riddled with self doubt and feelings of inadequacy. I’ve been like that since primary school
Thank you for reading my post. It can be difficult to break old habits because it’s our comfort zones. It’s always best to take small steps and you’d be surprised how it starts to work. I was the same way and now I’m in the process of learning how to treat myself better than before. So don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s all about practice and I strongly believe that you could do it 🙂
These are really great tips! I am all about self improvement, even in the midst of mental illness. It’s all about giving yourself the best possible chance at recovery
Thank you Jen. You are absolutely correct. We spend so much time breaking ourselves down that we all need that boost in the opposite direction.
Just what I wanted to read. This post is packed with positive vibes and encouragement. 😊
Thank you Alina. I’m all about spreading some positivity and I’m glad that it was able to reach you in a positive way.
All of this advice is absolutely amazing. I especially life how you actually provided a list of self affirmations. Thank you for this post!
Thank you so much Hannah for taking the time to read my post. And thank you for the positive feedback. I just started using affirmations a couple of months ago. There are so many out there. I love sharing examples.