Why affirmations & positive self-talk are not always effective

Affirmations are useful but not always effective. Positive affirmations could even do more harm than good. I’ll explain my point of view.    People have a hard time believing things that they know aren't true. Bold statements will almost certainly be met with resistance, and they may even backfire, resulting in a stronger defense of one's original viewpoint.   Positive affirmations do not work because they are directed at the conscious level of your mind rather than the unconscious level of your mind...    The unconscious mind is the archive for all of our memories and past experiences. And everything we are aware of at any given moment is in our conscious mind.   Every time you tell yourself something that sounds positive, your unconscious will repeat to you, "That's not true, that's not true!"  This creates mental and physical tension…It's similar to when someone compliments you, you cringe, too.    So instead give this a try!    “What if?” question generates no previous precedent, paradigm, or example, and the only knowledge that can be relied upon is brand new information.    Try "What if I love my body?"  What if I became successful?  What if I fell in love? What if I loved myself?   Thinking about what-ifs transfer your brains focus, allowing you to consider new alternatives and redirects your attention and encourages you to think about different options rather than dealing with a past emotional response.    “What if?” questions often spark creative and new ideas because they prompt us to fantasize or to actually generate new concepts.   One of the best ways to get your communication energy flowing is to rethink how you speak to yourself and adopt new conversational practices, including specific words and questions you ask yourself.