Welcome to this comprehensive guide to positive affirmations. In this article, we’ll define what affirmations are, how they work, how to use them effectively, and most importantly, we’ll go through 189 daily affirmations that you can use to start transforming your thoughts, feelings, beliefs & behaviors today.
Additionally, I’ve loaded this guide up with guided audios for each set of positive affirmations, created by myself and my mom, Heather Hayward, a world-renowned Immersive Experience Leader and Clinical Hypnotherapist.
Making these affirmations a part of your meditation practice can profoundly impact your mindset, self-talk, and energy, so I'm excited for you to experience them.
We created these affirmations with love, so I hope you enjoy. <3
Here is what we will be covering:
- What Is Meditation?
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What Are Affirmations?
Affirmations are concise, affirmative statements that assert aspirational thoughts, feelings, beliefs, or outcomes as if they are already in existence.
Positive affirmations are like seeds of thought that, if watered over time with consistent repetition, can blossom into healthier belief systems that contribute greatly to our mental wellbeing, success, and enjoyment of life.
Some examples of affirmations include:
- “I am worthy of love.”
- “I attract prosperous opportunities into my life.”
- “I let go of what no longer serves me.”
Typically, affirmations are utilized in 3 ways, which are not mutually exclusive:
- Repeating them to yourself: This can be done either silently, in your head, or out loud.
- Writing them down: You can write your affirmations down repeatedly in a journal or write them somewhere you will see them everyday, like a vision board or on sticky notes on your bathroom mirror.
- Listening to them in an audio: Meditation audios with affirmations are a great way to passively or actively engage in daily affirmations.
Now, let’s discuss how affirmations actually work.
How Do Affirmations Work?
While the exact mechanisms of how affirmations work are still yet to be fully understood, there is ample scientific evidence that self-affirmation reduces peoples defensiveness & resilience in the face of threats, improves our sense of self, and enhances our ability to make positive behavioral changes.
From a soft science, psychological perspective, affirmations work by slowly changing our subconscious patterns of thought, feeling, and belief.
You can think of your subconscious like the script that your mind is reading from in the play of your life, producing most of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors on stage. Trying to make changes in your life without addressing the subconscious is like trying to improvise new lines in the moment. It’s really hard, and eventually, you’ll default back to the lines you’ve already memorized.
Using daily positive affirmations can help you to write a new script for your subconscious to follow — making empowering beliefs and behaviors more automatic — resulting in lasting foundational shifts that affect all aspects of your life.
How to Use Affirmations Effectively
Knowing how to use affirmations effectively is critical if you want to see any results.
Here are a few tips on the best way to do affirmations:
- Be consistent & persistent: Affirmations take a lot of repetition over a long period of time to work effectively.
- Choose optimal times: Starting your day with positive affirmations is a great way to start your day on an empowering note. However, utilizing affirmations in the evening, right before bed, is the optimal time to affect the subconscious, as your brain will continue to process the encouraging statements while you sleep.
- Infuse feeling & emotion: As you say your affirmations, bring in the feeling and emotion associated with the words to maximize their effect.
- Incorporate visualization: If possible, visualize the realization of your affirmative statements to engage more of your mind in the process and affect greater change.
- Use them in a meditative state: Though it’s not a necessity, using affirmations while in a meditative or hypnotic state can increase their ability to influence your subconscious.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of what they are, let’s get into some examples of affirmations with audios you can experience right now.
Daily Positive Affirmations
Incorporating daily positive affirmations into your routine is an immensely powerful way to improve your mental resilience, boost your self-esteem and confidence, and accelerate the realization of your personal and professional aspirations.
Consistency is key, and so, I recommend you block out time in your schedule & set digital reminders to make your daily affirmation practice as regular as brushing your teeth.
Also, to maximize their effectiveness, I suggest that you prioritize your affirmations as part of your morning routine, evening routine, or both.
Let’s discuss why & give you some examples of daily affirmations for both the morning & the evening time.
21 Morning Affirmations for Positivity
Morning Affirmations for Positivity
Heather Hayward
Adding morning affirmations to your daily routine is an incredible way to start your day on the right foot. By positively affecting your attitude & energy, you’ll likely find your day more enjoyable and productive by taking just a few minutes to reinforce a positive mindset.
Here is a list of 21 morning affirmations for positivity:
- I am excited to embrace the opportunities today brings.
- I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
- I am grateful for another day to make a positive impact.
- I approach today with confidence and enthusiasm.
- I am capable of achieving my goals.
- I choose to think positively and create a wonderful day.
- I am full of energy and optimism.
- I attract success and happiness.
- I am in charge of how I feel, and I choose happiness.
- I believe in myself and my abilities.
- I am surrounded by love and support.
- I face challenges with courage and wisdom.
- I am open to new experiences and growth.
- I trust the journey and embrace the unknown.
- I am creating a life I love.
- I radiate joy and positivity.
- I am aligned with my purpose and passions.
- I am grateful for all that I have.
- I welcome abundance into my life.
- I am at peace with who I am.
- Today is a great day to be alive.
21 Evening Affirmations for Sleep
Evening Affirmations for Sleep
Heather Hayward
Utilizing affirmations in the evening, right before going to sleep, is one of the best ways to reprogram your subconscious mind, accelerate your growth, offload the stress of the day and worries about tomorrow, or simply relax and prepare yourself for deep restful sleep.
Here are 21 evening affirmations to repeat as your going to bed:
- I release the stresses of the day and welcome restful sleep.
- I am proud of what I accomplished today.
- I forgive myself for any mistakes made today.
- I am at peace with myself and the world.
- I trust that everything is unfolding as it should.
- I am grateful for the lessons learned today.
- I let go of all worries and embrace tranquility.
- I deserve relaxation and deep rest.
- My mind is calm, and my body is relaxed.
- I am thankful for the support and love in my life.
- I embrace silence and peace as I drift to sleep.
- I am recharging my body and mind for a new day.
- I release negative thoughts and welcome positive ones.
- I am safe, and all is well.
- I sleep soundly and wake up refreshed.
- My dreams are positive and inspiring.
- I am healing and growing as I sleep.
- I have done my best today, and that is enough.
- I am surrounded by a restful energy.
- I look forward to the possibilities of tomorrow.
- I end this day with gratitude and peace.
I Am Affirmations
“I Am” statements are the most popular format of affirmations, because “I Am” statements are incredibly powerful.
Statements that begin with “I Am” are reflections of our core identity.
Thus, “I Am” affirmations are key in transforming our self-perception.
Utilizing these kinds of affirmations work to reshape our identity directly, aligning our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with a more empowered version of ourselves over time.
21 Powerful I Am Affirmations
Powerful "I AM" Affirmations
Heather Hayward
Here is a list of the most powerful I Am Affirmations:
- I am confident and secure in myself.
- I am worthy of love and respect.
- I am strong and resilient.
- I am open to new experiences.
- I am capable of achieving my goals.
- I am surrounded by positivity and light.
- I am optimistic about the future.
- I am growing and learning every day.
- I am happy to be me.
- I am grateful for all that I have.
- I am at peace with my past and excited for my future.
- I am healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
- I am joyous, creative & playful.
- I am generous with my time & energy.
- I am courageous and face challenges with ease.
- I am connected to the world around me.
- I am full of energy and vitality.
- I am compassionate and kind to myself and others.
- I am passionate & filled with purpose.
- I am resilient and able to adapt with ease.
- I am enough, just as I am.
Self Affirmations
Self affirmations are those that focus on reinforcing, nurturing, and/or developing our own self-perception. In general, most affirmations are self affirmations, however, this distinction is useful to separate and explore the various categories of self affirming statements that exist.
Here are a few of the main focuses of self affirmations:
- Self-Love: Affirmations that encourage you to accept and appreciate yourself fully, fostering feelings of love and kindness towards yourself.
- Self-Worth: Affirmations that reinforce the belief in your inherent value and worthiness, independent of external achievements or validation.
- Self-Image: Affirmations that focus on improving how you perceive yourself, including your physical appearance and personal identity.
- Self-Esteem: Affirmations that boost your confidence in your abilities and qualities, helping you to develop a positive evaluation of yourself.
- Self-Concept: Affirmations that shape your understanding of who you are and who you aspire to be, aligning with your roles, goals, and values.
- Self-Compassion: Affirmations that promote being kind and understanding towards yourself, especially during times of failure or hardship.
- Self-Acceptance: Affirmations that help you embrace all aspects of yourself unconditionally, including your flaws and imperfections, leading to greater inner peace.
Self affirmations are particularly useful for healing wounds of the past that have negatively affected our beliefs about our value, abilities, or image.
Additionally, they are useful in building resilience in the face of criticism or other negative events we encounter in our daily lives.
21 Self-Love Affirmations
Self-Love Affirmations
Heather Hayward
Here is an example list of 21 self-love affirmations:
- I lovingly embrace all aspects of myself.
- I extend myself compassion, as I do for others.
- I am not my thoughts, I am pure love.
- Loving light flows through me, I shine it on those around me.
- I nurture my body, my mind, and my spirit.
- I learn & grow from all my experiences.
- I show myself love by nurturing my body.
- I am capable of achieving what I set my mind to.
- The more love I give, the more love I receive.
- I am not my feelings, I am pure love.
- I love myself, and so I set boundaries.
- I radiate love to all those around me.
- I nurture healthy, constructive thoughts about myself.
- I am proud of all I have accomplished.
- I am whole, complete & SO lovable.
- I accept myself entirely with warmth & kindness.
- I am grateful for my unique qualities.
- I release all attachments to what no longer serves me.
- I feel love emanating from within me.
- I breathe in “love”, and exhale “this.”
- I am a magnet for love; I find it everywhere I go.
Positive Affirmations for Women
Women face unique challenges in a modern society which can directly affect their sense of self, and consequently, their self-talk. Positive affirmations for women are a great tool to help reprogram some of the harmful thought patterns relating to such challenges, including but no limited to:
- Appreciating and cultivating feminine qualities as a strength, not a weakness to be repressed, to integrate and nurture their womanhood
- Increasing self-acceptance around body image and rewriting self-talk about their appearance
- Reclaiming and reshaping personal identity that has been molded by motherhood or romantic relationships
- Transforming patterns in relationships by reinforcing self-worth and boundaries or improving oneself to attract better partners
- Empowering women with resilience to operate efficiently in highly masculine environments and corporate structures
And there are many more applications of affirmations for women, but let’s get into some examples so you can start benefiting yourself.
21 Empowering Affirmations for Women
Empowering Affirmations for Women
Heather Hayward
Here is a list of empowering, positive affirmations for women:
- I embrace my feminine power with grace and confidence.
- My body is a temple of strength and beauty.
- I celebrate my unique journey as a woman.
- Wisdom flows through me with each passing day.
- I am a radiant beacon of love and compassion.
- My voice is powerful and deserves to be heard.
- I nurture myself as lovingly as I nurture others.
- Success and abundance naturally gravitate towards me.
- I am at peace with my body and all its changes.
- My intuition guides me towards my highest good.
- I effortlessly balance all aspects of my life.
- I am worthy of respect, love, and admiration.
- My femininity is a source of immense strength.
- I release comparison and embrace my unique beauty.
- I am the author of my own happiness and fulfillment.
- My presence lights up every room I enter.
- I lovingly accept all parts of myself, flaws and all.
- I trust in the divine timing of my life's journey.
- I am a powerful creator; I create the life I want.
- I radiate confidence, self-respect, and inner harmony.
- I am whole, complete, and more than enough.
Affirmations for Men
Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that men’s mental wellbeing has been on a rapid decline in recent years. While they are no substitute for professional help, affirmations can be a great way for men to start exposing themselves to healthier thoughts & beliefs.
Some applications of affirmations for men include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing motivation to pursue personal growth and professional goals
- Reinforcing actual masculine traits and the ability to show up and healthfully express those traits in their life and relationships
- Cultivating self-compassion in the face of societal programming that associates financial success with self-worth
- Building resilience in the face of work pressure and stress
- Supporting self-understanding and self-acceptance to share and express emotions, leading to healthier bonds and relationships
21 Positive Affirmations for Men
Positive Affirmations for Men
Heather Hayward
Here is a list of positive affirmations for men:
- I am a powerful creator; I create the life I want.
- Every day, in every way, I am getting better & better.
- I show up for myself, so I can show up for others.
- When I strengthen my body, I nourish my mind.
- I joyfully embrace challenges & easily overcome them.
- I am not my ideas; I release the need to be right.
- I breathe in “calm” and exhale “confidence.”
- I have the courage to ask for help and the wisdom to know when to seek it out.
- I nurture my relationships and they feed my soul.
- I make healthy decisions that feed my mind, body & spirit.
- I am not my achievements; I am enough, right now.
- I follow through on my commitments; I’m a man of my word.
- I take actions toward my goals each & every day.
- I lead by example, inspiring those around me.
- I am not my feelings; I express them calmly.
- Every obstacle is a stepping stone to bigger & better things.
- I release all habits & patterns that no longer empower me.
- I have the courage to forge my own path.
- My self-worth is separate from my net-worth.
- I find strength in collaboration.
- I make time for fun to enjoy my life.
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Affirmations for Kids
Utilizing affirmations for kids may be one of the best child rearing ideas that I hadn’t really considered until writing this article, so thank you for the idea!
Children’s minds have such neuroplasticity that the effects of positive self affirmation will be far greater than adults. Obviously, this is a double-edged sword, because the effects of negative experiences can also leave a more lasting impact.
This is because a child’s sense of self is in development and highly malleable. Therefore, positive affirmations — which are appropriate and written by a professional — can be immensely helpful in building a strong self-concept, encouraging empowering beliefs and behaviors, bolstering against fears and insecurities, and much more.
However, I want to stress that affirmations intended for children should only use the most general, highly positive, age-appropriate verbiage that is free from any biased ideas/beliefs about anything whatsoever; otherwise, it’s massively unethical.
21 Uplifting Affirmations for Children
Uplifting Affirmations for Kids
Heather Hayward
Here is a list of the kind of affirmations appropriate for children:
- I am loved.
- I am confident.
- I am joyful.
- I laugh a lot.
- I believe I can.
- I am kind.
- I love my friends & family.
- I am brave.
- I listen carefully.
- I am calm.
- I love helping others.
- I grow everyday.
- I am safe.
- I am free to be me.
- I can do anything I set my mind to.
- Everything works out for me.
- Every day, I become stronger.
- I learn new things easily.
- It is ok to say how I feel.
- I am honest.
- I am happy to be me.
Affirmations for Healing
There is ample evidence of the effect our mindset and beliefs have in healing our body, specifically around the phenomenon known as the placebo effect. Using affirmations for healing enables us to capitalize on the illusory mechanisms of the mind-body connection to promote faster healing from sickness and injury.
Additionally, studies have shown the ability for participants to increase their muscle strength by as much as 35% by merely visualizing a training routine.
Therefore, while it is always important to incorporate feeling and visualization with affirmations, it is especially important for healing affirmations.
21 Healing Affirmations
Affirmations for Healing the Body
Heather Hayward
Here is a list of affirmations for healing the body:
- Every day, in every way, I am healing and growing stronger.
- My body knows how to heal itself, and I support it with patience and care.
- I trust the healing process and give myself the time I need to recover.
- I am patient and kind to myself during this healing journey.
- My bones and tissues are repairing themselves perfectly.
- I am grateful for the progress I make each day.
- I focus on positive thoughts and invite healing energy into my body.
- I am surrounded by love and support as I heal.
- Each day brings me closer to complete recovery.
- I embrace rest and allow my body the time it needs to heal.
- I am resilient and capable of overcoming any challenge.
- My body is strong, and I recover quickly and completely.
- I nourish my body with healthy food and positive thoughts.
- I release tension and invite healing into every cell of my body.
- I am committed to my healing and well-being.
- I breathe in healing energy and exhale stress.
- I visualize myself moving freely and comfortably.
- I am healing more and more each day.
- I have the strength to heal and recover fully.
- I honor my body by giving it the rest and care it needs.
- My mind and body work in harmony to accelerate my healing.
Money Affirmations for Wealth and Abundance
Money affirmations for attracting wealth and abundance are one of the most common ways people utilize this tool. Whether or not you believe in the law of attraction or manifestation is immaterial, because there are many more concrete benefits of using affirmations for financial success.
Here are some reasons why money affirmations can help you attract more abundant wealth into your life:
- Reprogramming beliefs: Rewriting our beliefs about money like, “money is the root of all evil,” can improve our decision making around our finances and how we value our own work, leading to more prosperity and abundance in our lives.
- Attracting opportunities: Affirmations can open us up mentally to capitalize on opportunities we would otherwise shy away from or energetically to attract opportunities by exuding an inviting confidence with others.
- Reinforcing a prosperous mindset: Affirmations can improve our motivation to pursue prosperous goals, adopt a growth mindset, learn new skills, and thus, increase our money making potential.
So, let’s get into some affirmations for abundance and wealth attraction.
21 Money Affirmations for Wealth & Abundance
Money Affirmations for Abundance
Heather Hayward
Here is a list of money affirmations for financial success:
- I am a money magnet.
- Money is energy, and it flows freely into my life.
- I make prosperous decisions, every day.
- I am grateful for all that I have, right now.
- I am abundantly supplied with all that I need.
- I joyfull learn new & valuable skills.
- Money is a tool, and I use it for good.
- The more I give, the more I receive.
- Prosperous ideas fill my mind each day.
- My wealth benefits me and all those around me.
- I release all blocks & wealth flows freely into my life.
- My thoughts, feelings & actions align with prosperity.
- Prosperous opportunities present themselves everywhere.
- Financial freedom is my birthright and I claim it now.
- I see my bank account growing, and it brings me peace.
- I save what I earn & make wise investments.
- I am provided for in unexpected ways.
- Earning money is effortless and enjoyable.
- I allow myself to be rich; I embrace prosperity.
- Money flows limitlessly into my life.
- I respect money & money respects me.
How to Write Affirmations
While discussing how to write affirmations is a subject that requires its own article, I want to mention a few of the best guidelines and practices here.
Because, while it is a great idea to personalize them to your own goals and aspirations, there are some critical things to know if you want to learn how to make affirmations that truly help you, rather than harm you.
Here are some guidelines on how to create affirmations for yourself:
- Use the present tense: Write affirmations as if they are already true.some text
- Bad example: “I will be wealthy soon.”
- Good example: “Money flows freely and abundantly into my life.”
- Keep them positive: Focus on what you want to experience, not what you are avoiding. some text
- Bad example: “I am no longer afraid and timid.”
- Good example: “I am calm and confident.”
- Keep them concise: Short and sweet is easier to remember and repeat.
- Use emotional language: Add feelings to make your affirmations more powerful.some text
- Basic example: “I overcome all challenges in my path.”
- Better example: “I joyfully embrace new challenges and easily overcome them.”
- Make them personal: Use “I”, “me”, “my”, and “mine” in your statements to align your affirmations with natural language patterns of your own thoughts and beliefs.
- Keep them believable: Craft affirmations around realistic goals or outcomes to avoid creating cognitive dissonance. Then, raise the bar as you achieve more.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Affirmations
How long does it take to see results from using affirmations?
The time it takes to see results can vary widely depending on the individual and the specific goals. Some people report feeling a positive change in their mindset within a few weeks of consistent practice. However, for significant changes to core beliefs or behaviors, it may take several months of regular affirmation use.
How often should I practice positive affirmations?
For the best results, practice affirmations daily. Ideally, you should try to incorporate your affirmations into your morning routine, evening routine, or both. Consistency is the key to the effectiveness of affirmations, so try to make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth.
Are there any potential downsides to using daily affirmations?
Yes, there are a few potential downsides to using daily affirmations:
- Affirmations not written by a professional may use language patterns which are more harmful than helpful.
- Using affirmations that are too grandiose or unbelievable to you personally can create cognitive dissonance, and thus, be largely ineffective.
- Engaging in magical thinking that affirmations will cause changes in your material world without taking any concrete steps toward your goals can lead to inaction.
- Affirmations are not a replacement for professional help, and in the case of addressing mental health issues, they should not be considered a valid solution.
When is the best time to do affirmations?
In the evening time, right before going to sleep, is the ideal time to utilize affirmations to maximize their effectiveness in rewiring your subconscious patterns. However, some affirmations are designed to be utilized at different times of day, depending upon their specific application.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this comprehensive guide on positive affirmations! I hope it has provided you with valuable insights, practical examples, and effective techniques to incorporate daily affirmations into your life, enhancing your self-love, confidence, and overall well-being.
But what's the point of learning about affirmations if you don't have a supportive community to practice with and share your experiences, right?
If you'd like to join us for guided affirmation sessions, connect with other like-minded individuals, share your journey, and have an enriching experience exploring personal growth with fellow seekers, we invite you to explore our online meditation community, The Wellspring.
We'd be thrilled to see you there!
Regardless, may your journey with affirmations lead you to greater self-awareness, inner peace, and abundant joy in all aspects of your life.
Remember, you are worthy, capable, and deserving of all the goodness life has to offer. Keep affirming your best self!
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