Positive affirmations are powerful tools you can add to your self-care toolbox. Repeating these short uplifting statements can help improve your mood, lessen depression symptoms, and increase low self-esteem. Whether you are coming up with your own affirmations or being inspired by the words of a prominent person (like the sample affirmations below), use your positive affirmation regularly, saying it out loud or writing it down in a journal.
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Morning Affirmations
Positive affirmations and positive mantras are often implemented in the morning to replace negative self-talk and start the day off right. What better time to embrace positivity than right when the sun is coming up and you are getting out of bed? Morning affirmations are particularly useful because they give you a fixed time to practice, helping you make and keep your new habit.
- “Make way for the unprecedented and watch your reality rearrange yourself.” – Yrsa Daley-Ward, poet
- “Open your heart and drink in the glorious day.” – Heather Havrilesky, advice columnist
- “Every day above earth is a good day.” Ernest Hemingway, author
- “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer
Self Affirmations
Self affirmations are statements we repeat to ourselves that can shift the way we think about ourselves. If you are in the process of creating a list of positive daily affirmations, add a few of these affirming words and daily mantras into the mix. With continued use, these positive self affirmations can help change self-sabotaging thoughts.
5. “You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing.” – Ram Dass, spiritual teacher and psychologist
6. “The chance to love and be loved exists no matter where you are.” Oprah
7. “Am I good enough? Yes I am.” – Michelle Obama, former First Lady
8. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” – Brené Brown, researcher
9. “Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.” – Fred Rogers, PBS series host
10. “Embrace the glorious mess that you are.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, author
Motivational Affirmations
A comprehensive list of positive affirmations wouldn’t be complete without including a series of motivational affirmations. Repeating these daily mantras can help brighten your outlook on life, yourself, and your perspective. It is easy to add these affirmation examples into your regular routine. Give it a try!
11.“Your life is about to be incredible.” – Tim Storey, director
12. “Your perspective is unique. It’s important and it counts.” – Glenn Close, actor
13. “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” – Maya Angelou, poet
14. “I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.” – Muhammad Ali, boxing champion
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Empowering Affirmations
On its own, a positive affirmation can’t create change; however, truly great affirmations can support your ongoing work to empower yourself, change your thought patterns and behaviors, and achieve your personal and professional goals. Take a deep breath, lean into the power of self-affirmation, and believe in your ability to create positive change with these affirmation words.
15. “I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.” – Louise Hay, self-help author
16. “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lorde, poet and activist
17. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady
Grounding Affirmations
Using grounding affirmations can help you feel safe, anchored, and present. Like most encouraging affirmations, these work best when spoken in the present tense, which can narrow your focus on what is actually in your control. As you say these daily affirmations out loud, tap into your senses, feeling the ground beneath your feet and the air in your lungs.
18. “Conscious breathing is my anchor.” Thích Nhất Hạnh, Buddhist monk
19. “The perfect moment is this one.” – Kabat-Zinn, author
Love Affirmations
We all deserve love, but knowing this intellectually doesn’t mean you actually believe it. To change your mindset and manifest more love in your life — including self love, romantic love, familial love, etc. — repeat the following affirmation statements or conjure up your own versions. Inspirational affirmations of love will look different for everyone, but regardless of the words you use, practice really believing them.
20. “The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it.” – Nicholas Sparks, author
21. “The secret of attraction is to love yourself.” – Deepak Chopra, writer
Continue Your Self-Improvement Journey With Therapy
While they can help, positive affirmations and daily mantras are not substitutes for professional mental health help when dealing with symptoms of anxiety or depression. If you are dealing with persistent negative thoughts or feelings, then it is important to find a therapist. While it may feel daunting, the first step is knowing where to look, so consider beginning your search in an online therapist directory.
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