Affirmations are an easy, empirically validated way to reduce stress and anxiety.

Despite the minimal effort required, many individuals tend to shun affirmations.

Affirmations may be seen as hokey or cringey, and many of us are uncomfortable with self-praise.

Affirmations may be one of the most effective psychological tools that people refuse to use. As a psychologist, I am trained in multiple forms of therapy. Although I am qualified as a psychoanalyst, I regularly draw from CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), and existential therapy. Like many clinicians today, I would describe my orientation as eclectic: I use whatever method seems most helpful for a given client. Ironically, one of the simplest strategies I recommend is often rejected immediately.

Clients often dismiss them as “hokey,” “cringey,” or a silly parody of self-help culture.

Human beings love quick fixes and simple solutions, especially in our current climate of immediate gratification. Artificial intelligence can write an email for us in seconds, and we are actually impatient when it takes any longer than that. Packages can arrive in hours, and it seems........

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