Improving Self-Esteem with Positive Self-Talk, Affirmations, and Journaling
Jane Doe
Introduction
Too often the phrase “think positive” gets thrown around in most self-help groups and literature involving improving one’s sense of self, but the statement is one that should not be taken lightly. Many problems that are faced by people struggling with various mental illnesses stem from the negative internal dialogue further aggravating the chemical imbalances that may exist or be dormant. Whether the individual be a believer of holistic therapy or empirically proven medical therapies, the proof of positive self-talk, daily affirmations and journaling about one’s experience has been shown to transform one’s condition and quality of life from bad to better.
Depression is one of the mental illnesses that rob the individual of a normal functional life. For college age women, depression has been shown to impact academic performance, school and life satisfaction, and social relationships (Peden, Rayens, Hall, & Beebe, 2001). In addition to these problems, depression can also affect cognitive, social, and functional impairment and when left untreated could result in suicide (Peden, Rayens, Hall, & Beebe, 2001). What if the individual could reprogram the internal dialogue that is constantly bashing them with thoughts of failure and hopelessness? Instead of thinking, “I’m worthless” what if through affirmations or positive self-talk one could change that into “I’m worth it!”
The following case study of Sarah Dole will be done, which will incorporate the practices of positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling to help reduce the negative thoughts she has about herself. The purpose of the case study is to confirm my hypothesis that these therapeutic practices will improve the quality of Sarah’s life as she begins to think differently about herself, more positively rather than the negative programming that has been put in place for years.
Sarah Dole is the subject of my case study on measuring how powerful the methods of positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling can be on one’s self-esteem and internal dialogue. Sarah is nineteen years old, a single college student who work part-time in a clothing boutique. Sarah’s family lives a couple hours away from her and she keeps in contact with them during special occasion, vacations, and holidays, but does not visit more than she has to. She has a difficult time being around her mother who is highly critical of Sarah, which creates tension that Sarah would rather avoid, so she keeps visits back home to her parents at a minimum to avoid the drama.
Sarah’s favorite hobby has been running and training for races. She finds running to be incredibly stress-relieving and positive for her overall well-being. Recently Sarah has not been able to run due to some persistent knee pain. With almost two months of cutting running out of her life, Sarah finds herself feeling quite down about life. Unfortunately, due to a family history of depression and generalized anxiety disorder, which runs on both sides of her family, she has episode of feeling low down and anxious. Running has always helped her manage these symptoms, but now she finds herself falling into a downward spiral of feeling like a failure.
As Sarah is stuck in this rut of feeling frustrated and down, she seemed to be the perfect person to use in the case study to see how effective the methodology would be in helping minimize the self-defeating thought patterns and behaviors that Sarah began to exhibit. The following case study uses Sarah’s feedback of how she feels at the beginning, middle, and end of the experiment using positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling to reduce the negative thoughts she has about herself and her life.
Literature Review
Numerous studies have been done on the subject of self-esteem, negative thinking, and mental illness. Many types of therapies have been tried on individuals that suffer from low self-esteem and negative thinking. One might ask why, if any link exists between self-esteem and mental illness, to which the answer is “yes,” there most definitely appears to be a connection. A study was done using 713 college students; “this study examined self-esteem as a moderator of the influence of perceived stress and coping on symptoms of depression” (Eisenbarth, 2012, p. 149). College students are for some reason highly susceptible to depression, which lead to making questionable coping decisions (Eisenbarth, 2012). According to Aspin-wall & Taylor (1992), “self-esteem may lead to differential choices of coping strategies, with these strategies in turn leading to varying stress outcomes, such as depression” (Eisenbarth, 2012, p. 150).
One of the problems that can be assumed is that there are unrealistic expectations set by the college student about what his or her life is going to look like. They may think they can manage it all, and when things do not turn out as expected, there is a lack of self-empathy to accept that things are not always perfect. Perhaps there is a better way to respond to oneself when mistakes are made. According to Exline & Zell (2009), when people are hurt they become resentful and could respond in one of several ways; “offended parties might seek retribution, reframe the situation in a positive light, or suppress their anger” (p.1071). One could also choose to forgive the offender, let go of the bitterness, and replace negative thoughts with positive ones (Worthington, 2005; Exline & Zell, 2009). Applying this concept to oneself would be an example of how positive self-talk can become quite empowering. Instead of holding a grudge against oneself, replace the thoughts with a version that is more forgiving and willing to move forward with purpose.
The alternative to these positive thoughts of oneself would be the destructive path that embraces a negative self-image of oneself. “Negative images can increase anxiety and impede social performance,” creating a socially anxious individual (Hulme, Hirsch, & Stopa, 2012, p.163). One of the problems that negative thinking creates is a low self-esteem about oneself, which creates social anxiety further limiting one’s ability to function happily in their lives (Hulme, Hirsch, & Stopa, 2012). When a person is feeling like they are useless and boring, they are not going to feel valuable in their social interactions, which will result in anxious feelings around others as one is reminded of his or her own inadequacies.
One of the steps that can be taken in establishing a new habit of how one view’s him or herself can be done through awareness of the phenomenon of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence involves one’s ability to be aware of and in control of their emotions (Depape, Hakim-Larson, Voelker, Page, & Jackson, 2006). A study was done to compare the link between one’s self talk and one’s level of emotional intelligence and a correlation was found (Depape, Hakim-Larson, Voelker, Page, & Jackson, 2006). In order to have a good understanding of what the world around them is saying to them, there must be an awareness internally to monitor one’s own emotional responses to the external stimuli. This awareness is going to be limited by negative self-talk. When a person is too consumed by self-degrading comments or thoughts, they no longer are paying attention to what is occurring outside them, which keeps them in their vicious cycle. It is safe to say that positive self-talk would help increase one’s emotional intelligence, which will all help improve many of the challenges that a depressed or anxious person may be feeling.
Assuming Sarah began her college years without a higher emotional intelligence, the transition and stressors common to the college student may have created additional challenges for Sarah, along with possible pre-existing heritable conditions. According to Hall (2012), the focus of his research “concerns self-regulation and effectiveness of motivational strategies during critical transition phases, namely the transition to higher education in young adulthood and to limited functional status following serious health problems in older adulthood” (p.63). Clearly one must establish or find a method of motivation towards awareness of oneself and his or her relationship with the self in order to deal with transitional points in life more effectively. By having a positive self-esteem the internal dialogue will allow the individual to practice motivational strategies to talk their self into a better mindset or out of a negative thinking pattern about oneself.
The manner in which one thinks has a lot to do with the outcome and condition of one’s life. The power of one’s internal dialogue is almost magical. As seen in the popular documentary style film The Secret, one can transform one’s reality simply by what he or she attracts, which is mostly based on the way one thinks. In an article published in a psych journal called Skeptic, Ingrid Hansen Smythe chalks up this phenomenon of the law of attraction simply to positive thinking (2007). There is no great ancient mystery behind the law of attraction other than what one’s mindset is likely to encourage in one’s life. The individual who believes that he or she will be a millionaire is likely to think in a manner that encourages them to take actions that lead to achieving their goal. There is no magic here other than the power of positive thinking. By imaging certain outcomes, the individual begins to behave in a manner that is in alignment with his or her beliefs, which lead to a particular result. Whether this outcome is negative or positive is highly based on what one feeds him or herself by way of self-talk.
What if Sarah began to train herself to think differently about her situation? If she is not feeling attractive, then some positive affirmations about her appearance could be said in the morning and night. Another thing she can do is to have gratitude in her life to begin the process of changing her focus from negative to positive. “Recent studies have shown that trait and state levels of gratitude are positively associated with positive affect, optimism, happiness, and life satisfaction, and negatively associated with negative affects, anxiety, and depressive symptom” (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002; Rash, Matsuba, & Prkachin, 2011). By finding things in her life that are good, she will begin to slowly retrain the bad habit of her negative thinking into positive thinking. Even if at first it is just to be grateful for having legs to walk on or a roof over her head, it is a place to start shifting the habitual thinking pattern.
One of the recommendations besides the positive self-talk and affirmations is the journaling that will be helpful in building this new foundation of a positive and strong sense of self. Journaling entails “writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly,” which will greatly enhance one’s ability to sort through the barrage of false negative assumptions (University of Rochester Medical Center, 2016). According the University of Michigan Depression Center (2014), two of the most important reasons for journaling are to recapture the moments of the day and to learn from those moments. In Sarah’s case, she can begin by writing down moments throughout the day she was grateful for, which will begin to refocus her mind on the good things in life. In addition to making note of the positive portions of her day, she can also use the journal to address her frustrations in a more effective manner. By writing down many of the challenging events of her day, she will begin to gain self-control in how she deals with tough moments. Writing these things down will allow her to pause and review the reality of what happened versus what she injected into the moment by her pattern of negative thinking.
There is ample scientific evidence to confirm the value of journaling for one’s well-being. According to an article on the Psych Central Website (2015), “University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes along with decreasing symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis” (Purcell, 2015). It is important to note that these physiological changes in health are a result of a shift in one’s mindset that occurs as a result of journaling.
Another great example of the value of journaling can be seen in diet and exercise programs that help one to reframe their body image and body schema, which will help alter the negative weight loss debacle many women face in their lives (Griffin, 2012). Instead of writing down only one’s limitation and restrictions, one could use the journaling or logging as a means of declaring what is going right in one’s action plan. According to a study by Hardy, Roberts, & Hardy (2009), “Reverse listing involves the generation of reversed or positive counter statements used to replace commonplace negative self-statements, whereas thought stopping utilizes a cue word (e.g., saying “stop” out loud) employed in immediate response to undesired thoughts” (p.436). Not only can the individual write down the various thoughts and experiences of the day, but by using the journaling as a log on can interrupt the cycle of negativity by pulling out the journal and bringing an end to the negativity that may be arising.
The favorable outcomes that the power of positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling have in regard to one’s self-esteem is undeniable. Even when one is depleted, affirmations are capable of reinforcing the positive mindset in the individual (Schimel, Arndt, Banko, & Cook, 2004). Sometimes, it is difficult to challenge one’s thinking, so saying the words to oneself as a method of reprogramming is still going to help make an enormous difference.
Methodology
The Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale involved 4 sections that each dealt with question that measured various aspects of where Sarah was in terms of her sense of self. In the first segment the questions began with a “how often do you,” to which Sarah was to answer “Almost Always, Fairly Often, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.” The second section of the test asks “How confident,” which could be answered with “Very Much, Fairly Confident, Somewhat, Not Really, or Not at All. The third section began with “To what degree,” to which Sarah would have to select “Very Much, Fair Amount, Somewhat, Not Much, or Not at All.” The final section had yes or no questions asking various questions to indicate how she feels about herself in different scenarios.
The baseline test taken during the first week indicated some concerning result from the test showing she lacked a solid self-esteem. Too many of the questions answered showed signs of a person who was lacking confidence and questioning her capabilities. Lots of negative thinking about herself was indicated by the answers she supplied. In week 4 the positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling were introduced to Sarah. As the weeks progressed the result for the questionnaire began to shift. For example, in the segment asking “How Confident Do you feel about your about your abilities in general?” She initially answered “not really,” but by week four her response changed to “somewhat.” Although this was only a slight change, it was evidence of some progress. My suspicion that this intervention was working was confirmed by week 8 when the same question was answered with a “fairly confident.” The responses from week 1 to week 8 clearly indicate an upward movement in improvement of her sense of self based on the difference in the answered she responded to.
Results
Based on the data gathered by the Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale questionnaires, there was most definitely a shift in Sarah’s attitude towards herself and life from the start to finish of the experimentation period. In the beginning her scores indicated a low self-esteem with a greater likelihood of doubting herself and questioning her competence in the social aspect. These responses to the questions showed improvements in her self-esteem at the mid-point, and were significantly better at the end of the measurement period.
The test result confirm my hypothesis that positive self-talk, daily affirmations, and journaling showed a significant improvements in how Sarah felt about herself and her life. There was a noticeable decrease in frequency of her symptoms of depression and anxiety. Although the findings cannot corroborate or conclude the connection, but Sarah began to have a decrease of pain in her knee by the time the final questionnaire was taken.
Conclusion
The intervention on Sarah to shift her sense of self-worth from negative to positive worked quite well. Sarah was selected for the case study due to some of the personal challenges she was facing in her stressful life that was beginning to create some problems with depression and anxiety. Considering her circumstances, it made sense to ask her to participate in the study, which she was willing to do and comply with the rules. After asking Sarah to begin speaking positively to herself, using affirmations and journaling about her life and experience, there was ample evidence to understand how these tools and techniques would improve her self-esteem. Many peer-reviewed articles were used to gain insight into how and why positive self-talk, affirmations and journaling work so well to increase positive self-esteem, which is crucial to enjoy a solid and balanced life. After collecting the last set of questions from the Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale questionnaire, my hypothesis was confirmed when seeing that Sarah’s score had changed significantly from the start to finish of the process of intervention.
It seems to me that the intervention worked so well because Sarah was a willing participant in ensuring she followed protocol. Perhaps her willingness to want to incorporate these changes into her life had a lot to do with the successful outcome. This is an area of the test that would have to be reassessed in the future for skewing its reliability. One could question if the participant had a placebo affect or whether the recommended techniques actually worked.
In order to avoid the possible pitfalls of a questionable study based on this weakness, I would collect more than one participant for any future attempts to reconfirm the hypothesis. I would use an experimental group and control group to execute the intervention on a second attempt. The experimental group would not be given the suggestions, with ongoing reminders, as I had done with Sarah; meanwhile the control group would only take the test at the beginning and end, but only be briefly told about the power of positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling during the initial testing phase. One of the concerns about the study was that too many open variables existed without enough control to fully confirm whether or not these techniques would result in similar outcomes with all subjects who attempted to improve their self-esteem. If not for these weaknesses in the study, the overall outcome in Sarah’s case made me quite hopeful and confident in using positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling in order to increase one’s positive sense of self while reducing negative thinking habits.
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