Life can feel overwhelming some days; most days. However well things are going, there are wobbles along our routes and we sometimes need help in deciding whether an upcoming obstacle is a pebble to step across or a boulder to walk around. Affirmations are positive statements designed to challenge and overcome negative thoughts, helping us focus on our strengths and goals. 

Imagine facing a stressful morning with work deadlines looming, then listening to affirmations like, ‘You are at peace with yourself. You trust your ability to handle whatever comes your way.’ These simple words can help shift your mindset and restore focus.

As a society, we have developed an increasingly complex and comprehensive set of supports, networks, communities and resources to draw upon to support ourselves. But navigating that can be a challenge in itself.

In this busy landscape, simplicity can be appealing. Simple messages that offer clear advice can be hugely powerful in motivating us to positive actions.

Under the banner of affirmations, there is emerging evidence that making specific statements that we commit to and seek to reinforce can be a motivating factor in keeping our positive thoughts on track. As well as promoting our mental wellbeing, affirmations can be used to promote positive physical health benefits. 

Sherman, et.al., notes that self-affirmations have long-lasting effects by leading “to enduring changes in how people perceive social experience, […] and positive feedback loops between the self-system and the social system” (2021, p.70-71). They go on to say that self-affirmations help people to better understand what they may feel is a threat, and in doing so be able to better contextualise it (p. 71). 

In fact, the positive aspects of self-affirmations are well-documented and range from dealing with stress to positive academic achievements. 

It comes as no surprise, then that there is a huge, well-established, and much-loved marketplace of self-help books, wellbeing works, and affirmations created to suit all needs that can be drawn upon. It is this feeling of ‘new year, new me’ that has been driving the self-help boom in books. In fact, this trend of more people buying self-help books directly correlates with the growth of audiobooks. 

Sometimes it’s good to hear these affirming statements in our own voice, but there are benefits in hearing positive messages from friends, families, and members of our community we relate to or empathise with. Hearing affirmations in your own voice reinforces their power, as it creates a sense of ownership and authenticity. Personalised audiobooks take this a step further by making it effortless to turn these affirmations into a tool you can carry with you anywhere. This is where novel affirmations come into play. By novel, we mean ‘new to the listener’.

Personalised audiobooks have a crucial role in turning these ideas into tangible reality. An emerging thread within the well-embedded audiobook sector, personalised audiobooks allow people to record a short sample of their voice, create a full-length audiobook, then share it within and across their chosen network. No longer do you have to first write, then record your own affirmations to be able to hear them played back to you. We take the labour out of that and enable you to simply choose a theme for the affirmations you want to hear. 

Whatever works for you, a personalised audiobook of that approach can be created.

We are currently in an era of technological development where tools like AI can be harnessed for social good and to maximise wellbeing, which is why it feels timely to explore the therapeutic benefits of positive stories, reassuring messages, and tailored wellbeing supports in the context of personalised audiobooks. It represents a fresh new seam of powerful stories to enhance wellbeing, drawing upon strong evidence of the positive impact that they can have on our day-to-day lives.

Why not explore how personalised audiobooks can enhance your daily routine? Whether it’s starting the day with affirmations in your own voice or sharing uplifting messages with loved ones, the journey toward well-being is just a click away.