By Lisa Edwards, M.Ed, Parent Coach
Want an easy way to stop negative thinking? My son struggles with negative thinking and it hurts as a parent to hear this. . He constantly says, “I’m not good enough.” “No one cares about me.” “I just suck.” It breaks my heart as a mom to hear him saying these things over and over. Of course, I always try to say, “No, you’re not.” “People care about you.” Or simply, “I love you.” We get caught up in this cycle, and I don’t always know how to get him to stop the negative thinking.
The problem with all of these negative thoughts is that it becomes automatic. Whenever his mind slows down, these thoughts just come in, like a reel that keeps playing over and over. These negative thoughts plant the seed from which anxiety and depression grow.
As parents we want to fix this, but we really need to help train the brain to think differently.
Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations can help interrupt this negative thinking and create a new process. It gives the brain a new path to focus on. Affirmations are short sentences that can repeated every day that support and encourage the positive thinking. They boost self confidence and a growth mindset.
These can be incorporated as part of a morning routine, or used right before a stressful situation. Because my son struggles at night quite a bit while his mind is calming down from the day, as a result, he has incorporated it into his bedtime routine.
Positive Affirmations For Kids
- I am brave.
- I am kind.
- People like me.
- Today is going to be a good day.
- I can handle anything that happens today.
- I am beautiful.
- I am smart.
- I am a good friend.
- I am strong.
- I am creative.
- I learn from my mistakes.
- I am funny.
- I am awesome.
- I choose my attitude.
- I matter.
- I will do great things today.
- Today, I choose happy.
- I believe in myself.
Choose the Right Affirmations FOR NEGATIVE THINKING
Help your child identify some of the negative thoughts that they think most often. Find a way to turn that into a positive. For instance, my son says, “No one likes me.” Then we choose affirmations such as “I am a good friend.” “I matter.” “People like me.”
There is no magic number of how many affirmations someone should say every day. Start with a few, and make them automatic and then start to add more.
FREE – PRINTABLE AFFIRMATION CARDS FOR KIDS!
BONUS – 31 affirmations for teenagers!
Conclusion
Affirmations take time and practice. They are not a quick fix to negative thinking and in the beginning the brain still wants to fight these negative thoughts. It is an exercise for the brain and we need to work on it regularly to see change.
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