Affirmations help alleviate stress and can make you emotionally and mentally stronger. Host Cristina Quinn talks to clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo-Ryan about what kinds of affirmations are most effective. She lays out an exercise to help get you started with identifying the right kinds of statements to shore up your sense of self. Next, we dive into research on affirmations and stress levels with Carnegie Mellon University psychology and neuroscience professor David Creswell. Creswell’s work reveals how affirmations can activate the brain's reward system.For more on how to make affirmations work for you, read this from The Post’s Allyson Chiu.Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts.