- Mindset
- By Catherine Beard
- October 7, 2018
- 57 Comments
Affirmations seem to be having a moment right now. Everyone in the wellness space is praising the benefits of using affirmations in daily life, but are they all they’re cracked up to be?
At first, I was skeptical about the idea of affirming myself (it just seems so self-indulgent, right?), but I’ve come to realize how much of a positive impact they can have on my mindset.
Since your thoughts play a big part in your overall success and happiness, it’s important to find ways to improve your mindset. If you don’t, you risk falling into negative thought patterns and holding yourself back.
Affirmations are a powerful way to improve your mindset on a daily basis, and research has shown that they can increase our feelings of self-worth.
In this post, I’m sharing what you need to know about affirmations and how to use them, plus a daily affirmations list that will help you maintain a positive state of mind when times are tough.
Table Of Contents
- What exactly are affirmations?
- Daily affirmations list to improve your mindset
- How to use affirmations
What exactly are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive reminders or statements that can be used to encourage and motivate yourself or others. Often it’s a lot easier to affirm others than it is ourselves, but we need to remember to encourage ourselves as well.
I’ve seen a lot of people use affirmations to convince themselves of something they perhaps don’t believe about themselves yet. Telling yourself “I’m financially abundant” when you feel broke isn’t necessarily going to make you attract more money. In fact, research has shown that people who say positive self-statements like “I’m a lovable person” when they don’t believe it can actually make them feel worse.
It’s a lot easier to affirm others than it is ourselves, but we need to remember to encourage ourselves as well.
In my opinion, a better approach is something called “self-affirmation.” According to Lisa Legault, assistant professor of psychology at Clarkson University, “Self-affirmation is the process of reminding yourself of the values and interests ‘that constitute your true or core self’ […] It’s taking stock of who you are and what you care about.” (Source)
Self-affirmation encourages you to think positively about the important things in your life.
Rather than trying to convince yourself that you’re beautiful when you don’t feel that way, self-affirmation encourages you to think positively about the important things in your life, like your family, career, or hobbies. This means reflecting on things that you know and believe are good about yourself and your life.
Related Post:How To Overcome Mindset Blocks That Hold You Back
Daily affirmations list to improve your mindset
Here are some examples of affirmations that you can use on a daily basis. Pick a few that resonate with you or simply write your own!
- I create a safe and secure space for myself wherever I am.
- I give myself permission to do what is right for me.
- I am confident in my ability to [fill in the blank].
- I use my time and talents to help others [fill in the blank].
- What I love about myself is my ability to [fill in the blank].
- I feel proud of myself when I [fill in the blank].
- I give myself space to grow and learn.
- I allow myself to be who I am without judgment.
- I listen to my intuition and trust my inner guide.
- I accept my emotions and let them serve their purpose.
- I give myself the care and attention that I deserve.
- My drive and ambition allow me to achieve my goals.
- I share my talents with the world by [fill in the blank].
- I am good at helping others to [fill in the blank].
- I am always headed in the right direction.
- I trust that I am on the right path.
- I am creatively inspired by the world around me.
- My mind is full of brilliant ideas.
- I put my energy into things that matter to me.
- I trust myself to make the right decision.
- I am becoming closer to my true self every day.
- I am grateful to have people in my life who [fill in the blank].
- I am learning valuable lessons from myself every day.
- I am at peace with who I am as a person.
- I make a difference in the world by simply existing in it.
How to use affirmations
Some people say affirmations out loud in front of a mirror. Others simply write them down in a journal. You can also repeat them in your head like a mantra during meditation.
The important thing is to find affirmations that resonate with you. I’ll admit that there are plenty of affirmations out there that are just too woo-woo for me and do not resonate with me. Sometimes people throw in words like “manifest” and “abundance,” but these words simply don’t resonate with me (but maybe they do for you!).
The important thing is to find affirmations that resonate with you.
Start by choosing two to three affirmations from the list below that resonate with you. From there, decide if you will say them aloud, write them down, or recite them in your head. Try to do this in the morning or before you go to bed as part of your daily routine.
The key here is that you don’t have to go through a running list of affirmations every day. Just choose a few that really speak to you and encourage you to keep moving forward.
Related Post:5 Mindset Shifts That Have Changed My Life
About the Author
Hi, I'm Catherine! As the creator of The Blissful Mind, I love exploring ways to make life more fulfilling, especially when it comes to our daily routines, habits, and well-being.
57 Responses
Thansks for sharing this post about daily affirmations. I actually never tried it before. Might consider it…
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I’d love to know if you do try them, Sandra! Thanks for reading.
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Thanks for affirmation. This is great.
I agree, Catherine. Affirmations have definitely been a game changer for me. There are some on your list I’m going to add to my “stash”. lol
I started practising them more regularly over the past year. I still need to be a little more disciplined though. One of the big ones for me is – You are enough. Just saying those words did so much for me mentally since I was forever pulling myself down on the inside. Apart from saying them out loud, I started putting them everywhere, on my mirror, desktop background, as my screensaver, to name a few. And I also recorded myself saying them and would listen on a morning and before bed.
Thanks for your continued inspiration. Keep well.
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Thank you for sharing how you use affirmations, Nickesha! Sometimes it does take those constant reminders everywhere to ingrain them into your head ;)
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1. I forgive myself for all the steps I have taken backwards.
2, I love you so much.
3. I am patient and kind to myself.Reply
I love all of these, Eliza. Thank you for sharing.
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I used to struggle a LOT with self image and loving myself. I always thought once I found someone else to love me I’d be happy, but everyone always said I needed to love myself. Although learning to love myself was the key to finding someone else who loved me, that person’s constant reminders of my value and worth were irreplaceable in finding my confidence and self worth. Now I’ve realized it was probably because I had a different voice in my head telling me something positive about myself instead of the constant negative things I was saying to myself. I think affirmations are a similar tool. You are blocking the negative self talk, and learning to remember the positive things about yourself consistently.
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This is so inspirational!! Keep up the good work xx
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Thank you, Rachel!
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I love this! I think it’s so important to have this kind of mindset and affirmations first thing in the morning too. It makes a whole difference. I love how you put “I am always in the right direction.” I say this every morning. No matter what, I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. Thank you for the article!
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Thanks for the list!
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I always had a lot of resistance on using affirmations. But since I realized that the loving kindness meditations are also just a set of affirmation, I grew to see the benefit of it.
Thanks fo the great list. My personal favorite is nr 2 I give myself permission to do what is right for me, sice I have the impression that I am sometimes sabotaging myself.Reply
I’ve had resistance to loving-kindness as well. We’re just not used to being kind and loving to ourselves, I suppose!
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I self sabotage myself too. I cant shop at the mall without feeling guilty. This affirmation has been helpful. Thank you
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Hi Catherine,
great insight! I think the impact of affirmations is often underestimated. At least I used to think they barely work.
Writing down my affirmations improved their impact on me. There’s just something to the written word that makes it more powerful. At least as far as I’m concerned. I like making a precise affirmation followed up by a more general second sentence. For example something like “This or something better will manifest in my life.”
Shared your article :)
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Beautiful words Catherine. Thank you xo
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Nice content on affirmations
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I love these affirmations <3
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Thank you for the positive mindfulness that we all as people should b doing or saying every morning we wake up, I am in recovery and I have been for the past 2 years 1 month and 14 days & I’ve learned so much about my self MINDFULNESS is so very important to me I’ve been reading alot and this morning I read ur Affirmation tools and I am so glad I did because Affirmation is something I did not do and as of today I will b from now on Thank!! #N8iveRecoveryRocks#
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This positive affirmation song, really brightens up my day and one of the best sing along song I would say. I think it should be added in the article
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PTlOMjX6kgReply
Good list of positive mindset affirmations, thanks so much for sharing. Number 24 is my favorite “I am at peace with who I am as a person.”
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Hi Catherine. I am Darren from South Africa and i would just love to say thank you for these great affirmations that I can add to my daily routine. I have been slacking in many areas of my life and I feel more so as if it does not want to end. However, this is exactly what I needed right now and I couldn’t have been more grateful. Thank you so much!
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Thanks for affirmation they really help me
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A few I use, in case it helps anyone else:
Your best is always good enough.
You learn from your mistakes and don’t dwell on the past.
Making small steps towards bigger goals every day, is a sign of success, not failure for not reaching the goal yet.
Looks aren’t that important, if you love the person you are underneath.
You have value and contribute good to the world, just by existing in it.
You deserve someone as great as you, so just hold out for them and don’t settle for less.
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Thank you for sharing these, Will!
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Nice share… this will go a long way in helping one find there way to success in life.
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Thanks, Mike!
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Beautiful and so soulful to read your words. I am glad to discover your site :)
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Thank you, Naveen!
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Thanks for Sharing ?❤️:)
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Very useful., thank you so much!
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Glad you found it useful, Joana!
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There are enough power and strength in this post, I really appreciate your share :)
Thanks a lot, Catherine Beard!Reply
This blog post was really a blessing to me
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Thank you for the awesome list.
I found your blog on Pinterest, you are an inspiration.thanks again
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Thank you, Nitin!
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I really love how you broke down and defined affirmations and how you were initially skeptical about it all. Thank you so much for this I also am and always want to make sure to keep up with educating myself and learning how to do my job better when teaching and showing others how to affirm themselves. I write about this in my next blog. I will be including a link to this article because this is powerful. I hope that’s okay? Feel free to reach out to me any time at askjasminebatiste@gmail.com
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Thank you so much Catherine for the wonderful list of inspirational affirmations…..God bless you with more positivity and creativity in your endeavors.
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You’re welcome, Taruna! Thank you so much.
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Great!
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I’ve been using the Five Minute Journal for a little over a month now, and struggle with the aspirations section – which is what led me to this article. I often affirm things that I don’t necessarily believe about myself because I want to influence a shift. (Now I understand why I struggle!) I plan to begin focusing on what I need to be reminded of, rather than what I hope to see. Any thoughts on whether it is more effective to focus on the same affirmation repeatedly or bounce around?
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Hi Danice! That’s a great question. I’d be curious to know if any scientific studies have been done on that actually (will have to look that up!), but I do think repetition is an important part of making something stick.
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LOVE the positive affirmations!!
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I love the way how you narrate these positive affirmations, you help me to fill myself with some positive energy. Thank you, happy soul.
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Hi Catherine, I came searching for some affirmation sentences. Got the right ones I was looking for. Thank you dear!
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Loved very much
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Thank you for this! It really helped me shift my mindset ❤️
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Affirmations are a powerful tool that most people underestimate. Great post
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Hi Catherine! The way you’ve formatted the post and the way you explained affirmations is great! Amazing post.
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Hey Catherine! Here is my favorite quote from your affirmations: I use my time and talents to help others.
I loved the way you explained these affirmations! Great post Catherine! Keep moving forward :)Reply
Love all the affirmations! I have found positive affirmations are so helpful in countering all the negativity that our brains are predisposed towards.
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Any time I have a negative thought about myself I tell myself “fake it till you make it” and almost scold myself for thinking that about myself
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“I put my energy into things that matter to me.” This is my affirmation for 2023! I have been putting too much energy into things that do not matter to me in the long run. I have learned my lesson and need to start anew. Happy new year 2023 & thank you for sharing these awesome affirmations! :)
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Love that affirmation!
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After reading this, I have the confidence now to turn the complicated[war of me] to simple[steps], to affirm that day with sunlight & strength to eat another day.
Deep thoughts run through me. It’s never fake.
See you then!Reply
Thank you for speaking positive energy. I wish to create that good energy around me. i feel as if my environment at the moment is very toxic and is poisoning my spirit. I’m currently in the process of making some changes. i have to protect my spirit.
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