Comments on: The Dangers of Positive Thinking and Affirmations

By: John

John — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:07:50 +0000

Very interesting article and reply by Alli. I certainly think positive thinking is the way to go but I do tend to be a solutions finder rather than a problem finder. Some of that trait is nature and some training and learning.

However I do think the statement “When depressed or otherwise in low self-esteem mode, making positive statements can also lead to thinking one is a failure because one can’t even “do” positive thinking right!” is a key point. If you want change and fail with “Positive Thinking” I am sure you are going feel at dead end and if you are in low self-esteem mode that could devastating.
Self-learning positive thinking is a good tool for people with “normal” range self-talk. People with self-talk in the range where it is debilitating may need guided positive thinking with cognitive therapy. It is a failure of many self help books and Gurus to understand or ignore the difference.
Stay Well Stay Happy
John

By: Josten

Josten — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:01:47 +0000

Affirmations don’t work because there isn’t sufficient repetition and they are in constant battle with deeper long-standing beliefs.”

^ that quote is a definite reason for many people not believing in positive thinking. great post

By: Alli

Alli — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:45:17 +0000

I think this is an excellent article because it’s realistic!!!! I agree that you really have to feel good about yourself first. Personally, I found this to be a process of years…. In my own humble experience, learning new skills and reading a lot has made me feel more confident about myself. That is, I feel like I have developed competence, values, qualities and hobbies that make me unique and that can define meee. The more confident about myself I get, the more I feel like I can BELIEVE affirmations that I read and say. I guess what I’m trying to say is there’s a process of development that needs to happen. One must gain more skills and knowledge and work on developing their own system of beliefs and values. They got to consciously know what they are and what they are not and appreciate that individuality. I think it ALWAYS goes back to people INVESTING IN THEMSELVES. When you invest in yourself, you see a result and that result spurs you on to do more and to be better which becomes a positive cascade….
But I do know that this subject is more complex than that, because people need to love themselves, and really, how do you get people to love themselves enough to invest in themselves? I mean, I’ve tried helping a depressed friend or two see their good attributes and it didn’t help. Actually, the relationships suffered and I had to stop being their friend because they were not only sabotaging themselves but me too!!! I do think that a person must have that starting ember to turn into a flame of self love and positivity. And, you can only keep an ember burning and raise its heat if there’s a fire there to begin with. Some people just don’t have that fire, and to that I say, don’t try to help them because they’ll just try to sink you with them! Lessons learned!