We’re about halfway through January, which means holiday stress is behind you. Unfortunately, it’s probably been replaced by stress related to keeping up your New Year’s resolutions. To stay on track, consider adding positive affirmations to your routine.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Usually Fail
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, there’s a high percentage of failure — almost 80% of people fail to fulfill their resolutions. The science of habit-building explains why:
- Our resolutions are too vague. “Lose weight” or “be more motivated” are the end results, but not the process of how to accomplish it. We walk away because we don’t know how to reach our goal.
- Our timeline is too long. When we give ourselves until the end of the year to accomplish something, we’re more likely to procrastinate.
- We don’t believe in ourselves enough. It’s easier to say you can’t do something and just give up than it is to risk trying and failing. As soon as we hit a roadblock, we admit defeat.
- We don’t stick with them long enough. Habit research shows it takes 30 days of actively and intentionally doing something before it becomes a habit.
This doesn’t mean New Year’s resolutions are impossible and you shouldn’t set one. It just means we need to be more intentional in the goals we set and how we go about them.
Positive affirmations combined with habit stacking can help you achieve your resolutions in 2022.
What Are Positive Affirmations?
When pesky self-doubt sneaks up on you, positive affirmations are positive statements that you can repeat to chase them away. So when your inner voice says, “I’m never going to be able to make this new fitness routine work so I should just give up now,” respond with a positive affirmation like, “I am strong and I deserve to keep my body healthy.”
On the surface, these statements may seem wishy-washy, but they really do work. When you learned to drive, you had to think about every choice you made behind the wheel. Now a lot of it is automatic because it’s muscle memory. Positive affirmations work similarly: after consciously repeating them, they become second nature.
Affirmations work best when you speak them aloud to yourself in a confident voice regularly. You can also pair them with daily journaling prompts.
Combining Positive Affirmations with Habit Stacking
To make the most of positive affirmations, combine them with habit stacking to achieve your New Year’s resolutions.
Habit stacking is the practice of tying one habit to another. Once you have successfully created a specific habit, build on your success by adding another, related habit.
Let’s say your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. Start with one or more of the body-positive affirmations below. Stick them on your bathroom mirror or your closet door where you’ll see them every day. This will hopefully eliminate the negative self-talk you engage in unconsciously that leads you to quit at the first challenge.
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Once the positive affirmations become embedded in your subconscious, start a new workout routine. Because you are more confident about your body, you’ll be more likely to stick with your new workout routine rather than giving up when it gets challenging. Once the workout routine is a habit, then you can add a healthy eating habit, like replacing your sugary drinks with water.
Think of habit stacking as the building blocks and your affirmations as your foundation.
Positive Affirmations for Every Resolution
If you aren’t sure where to start, these positive affirmations can help you reach your resolutions this year.
Personal Growth
Many people choose a New Year’s resolution that involves learning a new skill or developing one they already have. Maybe you want to get better at cooking, or perhaps you want to learn a new skill to help you advance your career. Other people may want to step outside their comfort zone more often or overcome self-doubt.
If your New Year’s resolution falls into the personal growth category, check out the personal growth affirmations below.
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Anxiety
If 2022 is the year you want to get a handle on your anxiety, you aren’t alone. In fact, many of our bad habits are linked to anxiety, like biting our nails or stress eating. If you want to eliminate a bad habit, chances are you can do so by replacing the bad habit with one of the anxiety affirmations below. In this case, it’s helpful to place these affirmations wherever you tend to feel anxiety, like next to your laptop screen during remote meetings.
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Self-Esteem
Many women recognize the need to believe in themselves more to advance in life. For some, that means trying new things or taking risks. For others, it means standing up for themselves. Whatever your ultimate goal, stick these self-esteem affirmations on your bathroom mirror where you’ll see them every day, and repeat them whenever you go into a situation where you lack self-esteem.
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Love
It’s not unusual for people to add finding love to their New Year’s resolutions. It’s something we all deserve, but it starts with loving yourself first. The affirmations below can help you manifest love in your life by opening your heart to it and recognizing that you deserve it.
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Happiness
2021 has been a bit of a drag, so it’s understandable why some people want to make 2022 a happier year. While we can’t eliminate sadness altogether from our lives, we can be happier by recognizing the small moments of joy we experience each day. Of course, sometimes that’s easier said than done, but these affirmations can help!
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Write Your Own Affirmations
If none of the above affirmations suit your needs, that’s okay — just write your own!
To write a strong affirmation statement, consider the following:
- What do you want to change?
- Is your affirmation based on facts?
- What negative thoughts do you frequently have? How can you turn them into positive thoughts?
- Is your affirmation written in the present tense?
- Is it meaningful to you?
If you still aren’t sure, use the affirmation template below.
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As you continue to work through your 2022 New Year’s resolutions, remember that it’s a long road to change habits. You will make mistakes, and there will be slides back into previous behavior. Remember your affirmations, and build on your successes, and you’ll make 2022 your best year yet!
Author bio: Jen Baker is a full-time digital content writer for lifestyle blogs. When she’s not writing, she can be found working on her novel, cheering on the Columbus Blue Jackets, or reading a good book cuddled on the couch with her dog.
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