When experiencing anxiety, stress, a lack of self-confidence or other problems, people often feel relief by repeating affirmations to themselves, and can even gain long-term benefits. Regularly repeating affirmations to yourself can change your thought patterns by building and strengthening pathways in your brain. This makes you more likely to believe these affirmations and think them automatically in the future, and allows your brain to form a habit of thinking more positively. To continue reading about the benefits and practice of self-affirmations, click here.
Disclaimer: While affirmations can certainly help change negative thought patterns, this is not a magical cure for mental health problems. Do these affirmation exercises with the goal of improving your coping abilities and making your mindset more positive, not with a goal of magically fixing all of your problems. If you are experiencing mental health problems, it is recommended that you seek professional help. As well, make sure that you are not falling into toxic positivity, in which you do not allow yourself to experience or feel negative emotions or thoughts, and only allow yourself to be positive. To learn more about toxic positivity and how to combat it, click here.
Below are some tips for creating your own affirmations, and examples of affirmations that you can repeat to yourself in various situations.
Tips for Writing Your Own Affirmations:
Try to stay realistic with your affirmations. Choosing an affirmation that isn't true or realistic can set you up for disappointment if it does not end up being true, and is unlikely to help.
Keep the affirmation in the first-person perspective to make it more relevant to you and easier to believe.
Keep the affirmation in the present tense so that it has more of an impact on your current behaviour.
Choose an affirmation that's relevant and meaningful to you. For example, if you are anxious about a specific situation, you could create an affirmation addressing how you will handle that situation.
If there is a specific behaviour or thought pattern that you'd like to change, choose an affirmation addressing that behaviour or thought pattern. For example, if you'd like to have more patience, you could write an affirmation along the lines of "Even though I feel frustrated, I can overcome this and handle situations with patience."
If you find yourself thinking negatively about yourself, make a note of some of the negative thoughts about yourself you have and write affirmations that turn these negative thoughts into positive ones. For example, if you tend to think "I am not smart or talented enough to achieve my goals," you could write an affirmation such as "I can achieve my goals because I am smart and talented, and I work hard."
Try to incorporate emotions into your affirmations to make them more meaningful and effective. You can use emotional words such as excited, happy, grateful, proud, or loving.
Examples of Affirmations:
Here are some affirmations that you can go through. Choose the ones that resonate the most with you or that you'd like to start thinking automatically. You can also change the affirmations to be more relevant to your life to make it more effective. Make a note of the affirmations so that you can repeat them to yourself regularly. Some people find it helpful to repeat the affirmations several times and to practice repeating affirmations on a regular basis, so feel free to do that.
To Feel Safe & Secure:
I am safe and secure. The danger that my anxiety is trying to warn me about is not really there, even though it feels real.
My thoughts are not facts, they're just thoughts. I can let them pass without being carried away by them.
It is safe for me to express my feelings.
Even though I am anxious right now, everything will be okay and I am safe.
This feeling will not last forever. I've been okay every time I've felt like this in the past, and I am okay now.
To Overcome Challenges:
I have all of the strength, courage and support I need to get through this challenge.
Even though this feels difficult right now, I will get through it and better days are coming.
I am surrounded by love and support during these difficult times, and I do not have to go through it alone.
I have overcome hard times before, and I will overcome them again.
I'm capable of persevering. Overcoming this challenge will teach me so much about how to be strong.
To Gain Confidence:
I am courageous, strong and brave.
I have the power and ability to live my dreams and to stand up for what I believe in.
I am in charge of my life, and have the skills I need to succeed.
I am smart, capable and powerful, and can achieve what I set my mind to.
The future has good things in store for me, and I am excited to see what I make of it.
To Gain Self-Love:
I am loved, and I am worthy of unconditional love from myself and others.
I am enough.
I deserve to feel good about myself and to feel proud of myself.
I do not need validation from others to know that I am good.
The love that I seek already exists inside of me.
