Whether you’re feeling proud of yourself after a major accomplishment or feeling down on yourself after a day when you can’t seem to get anything right: the way you talk to yourself matters. For example, if you made a mistake you can immediately think “I’m so stupid” but you can also replace that negative self-talk by a positive affirmation like telling yourself “I can learn from my mistakes”.
In today’s blogpost I want to tell you a little bit more about these affirmations, how they can boost your health and how to start an affirmation practice.
What are affirmations?
Positive affirmations are short phrases that you can repeat to change the way you think and feel about yourself. These statements shift negative thought patterns and promote positive thinking, self-esteem and motivation and they can help brighten your outlook on the world when you say them to yourself regularly (like every morning when you first wake up) or when you write them down in a journal before you go to sleep each night.
Did you notice that I wrote “every morning” and “each night”? There’s a good reason for that: affirmations can literally create new pathways and patterns in your brain but only if you practice them every single day. Just think of it as a mental strength workout to flex your positive thinking muscles :-)
What’s in it for me?
There is real power in positive thinking. When you practice self-affirmation regularly, you can actually reduce your stress levels, improve your mental health and overall well-being and set yourself up for successful outcomes in the real world. Which means that saying an affirmation every morning is a great way to start your day!
And if all this sounds a bit far-fetched or awkward to you: just think of affirmations as an opportunity to remind yourself that you have strengths, characteristics and power, regardless of what negative thoughts may be telling you.
How do I choose an affirmation?
You can choose an affirmation that relates to a personal goal, a positive attribute you see in yourself or simply a phrase that resonates with you. Which means that it’s a very personal choice so simply copying someone else’s affirmation won’t do much good.
There are two things to keep in mind when you’re choosing an affirmation to use on a daily basis:
Keep it short: an affirmation can be any positive statement that resonates with you but make sure it’s quick, easy and short enough that it can be repeated over and over. There aren’t any specific rules on the exact number of words you can use but experts suggest using a phrase that’s about three to seven words long.
Make sure your affirmation feels authentic to you: it should be something you believe is true.
Here are some examples of affirmations that you can use on a daily basis:
It’s okay that the struggle happened
I’m going to be all right
I am enough
My body is beautiful
All I can do is my best
I am worthy of love
I believe in myself
I choose myself
I’m ready to receive love in abundance
I’m grateful to have woken up today
I am at peace with everything that I cannot control
I am proud of myself and my achievements
I do my best and my best is good enough
I trust my inner guidance and follow it
I accept my emotions and let them move through me
I take care of myself, mind, body and spirit
I trust myself to make the right decisions
I use my voice to speak up for myself
I allow myself to make mistakes as they help me grow
I accept myself exactly as I am without judgment
I love and accept myself
What is your favorite affirmation to use?
©HolisticHappiness2023
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