Affirmations are generally short phrases that are easy to remember and repeat. They can be powerful ways to help program and reprogram your thinking. Affirmations can act as reminders to your brain (and ego) to help overcome self-sabotaging or negative thought patterns.
The definition of affirmation is the act of confirming something to be true, so when you repeat the phrase ‘I am valuable’ 100 times, somewhere in your brain the neurons start to fire differently and you start to believe the phrase. I’m a big fan of affirmations and even practice reciting them out loud while walking or driving. There is a connection between hearing yourself say the words and your brain that helps make the connection to accepting and believing them to be true. This is similar to the connection of writing words or sentences out on paper over and over (like writing ‘I will not chew gum in class’ 100 times) that really solidifies the phrase in your brain.
I collected this list of 99 affirmations here to give some ideas. Feel free to use the ones that connect or resonate with you. Keep in mind too, it is probably more valuable to repeat 5 specific affirmations 10 times each, than it would be to read 50 specific affirmations 1 time each. The repetition is important.
And affirmations can be specific to different areas of your life or different seasons in your life. Some are geared towards confidence, value, or worth. Some are specific to health and personal wellness. The affirmations you practice today might not feel right a year or two from now.
Positive Affirmations – 99
- I alone hold the truth of who I am
- It’s OK to ask for help
- I am allowed to ask for what I want and what I need
- I am allowed to feel good
- I am capable of balancing ease and effort in my life
- I am content and free from pain
- I am doing the work that works for me
- I am good and getting better
- I am growing, and I am going at my own pace
- I am in charge of how I feel, and I choose to feel happy
- I am listening and open to the messages the universe has to offer me today
- I am loved and worthy
- I am open and readily receive healing
- I am optimistic because today is a new day
- I am peaceful and whole
- I am responsible for myself and I start there
- I am safe and surrounded by love and support
- I am understood, and my perspective is important
- I am valued and helpful
- I am well-rested and excited for the day
- I am worthy of investing in myself
- I belong here, and I deserve to take up space
- I belong in any room I enter
- I breathe in healing, I exhale the painful things that burden my heart
- I breathe in trust, I exhale doubt
- I can control how I respond to things that are confronting or unexpected
- I celebrate the good qualities in others and myself
- I do all things in love
- I do not have to linger in dark places, there is help for me here
- I am who I am
- I perceive what I think, therefore I am
- I embrace change seamlessly and rise to the new opportunity it presents
- I embrace the questions in my heart and welcome the answers in their own time
- I grow towards my interests, like a plant reaching for the sun
- I have everything I need to succeed
- I hold community for others, and am held in community by others
- I hold wisdom beyond knowledge
- I invite abundance and a generous heart
- I invite art and music into my life
- I leave room in my life for spontaneity
- I let go of the things I cannot change
- I look forward to tomorrow and the opportunities that await me
- I make time to experience grief and sadness when necessary
- I nourish myself with kind words and joyful foods
- I practice gratitude for all that I have, and all that is yet to come
- I release the fears that do not serve me
- I respect the cycle of the seasons
- I seek out mystery and enchantment in the ordinary
- I am finding my joy along the journey
- I welcome what is, and I welcome what comes
- I am allowing myself to evolve
- Letting go creates space for opportunities to come
- I wake up every morning with hope and joy for the day
- My body is worthy of being cared for
- My body is strong and beautiful
- My heart knows the way
- My perspective is unique and important
- My sensitivity is beautiful, and my emotions and feelings are valid
- There is growth in stillness and rest
- There is poetry in everything
- There is room for me at the table
- There is something in this world that only I can do
- Today is an opportunity to grow and learn
- I forgive myself, and I free myself from my past mistakes
- I release all shame, and I know that only good awaits me at every turn
- I attract what I am ready for
- I accept health as the natural state of my being
- I choose to release and let go all that does not serve me anymore
- I am safe, and all is well
- I now consciously release all my mental patterns that manifest as disease in any way
- I choose to be well now
- I love and accept myself
- With every cell in my body, I release all negative thoughts and claim my full health
- I lovingly forgive myself and release all of the past
- I choose to fill my life with joy
- I love and approve of myself
- I hear with love
- I am in perfect balance
- I move forward in life with ease and joy at every age
- I am balanced and peaceful in all seasons and cycles, and know that I am loved
- I eat healthy food that nourishes my body
- My clothes fit me comfortably and I feel great
- I am satisfied and content with the food that I eat
- I radiate light and love into this world and I absorb this light and love into myself
- I love and respect myself and others love and respect me
- People seek my input for ideas and direction at work and at home
- People listen when I speak
- I respect myself and I am respected by my co-workers, my family, and all who know me
- I am loving and kind to myself and to others
- I am abundant and prosperous
- I am whole, aligned, balanced, strong, powerful, and harmonious
- I am determined and confident
- I manage my money well and make smart and wise financial decisions
- I think abundant thoughts
- My dream is possible
- I can achieve whatever I set my mind to do
- God loves me; I am loved and loveable
- I am highly blessed, and I am grateful
- I have gifts and talents that make this world a better place
I encourage you to read through the list, pick out a couple that resonate with you, and write them down on some index cards. Then practice reading them out loud when you’re walking or driving or doing the dishes. It will feel funny and weird at first, but just play with it and see what happens.
Finding Joy by affirming yourself – sounds like a great way to start the new year.