How to use positive affirmations to support your mental health and wellbeing
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, CDCES, MBA
Positive affirmations can help shift your thoughts. Discover how positive affirmations work, learn when to use them, and explore our favorite affirmations.
When it comes to nurturing mental health and wellbeing, the words we repeat to ourselves play a crucial role. Positive affirmations—simple yet powerful statements—can be supportive, helping to lead to a happier, more confident, lower-stress life.
Learn what positive affirmations are, how they work, and the common misconceptions to help you incorporate affirmations into your daily routine.
What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations are uplifting statements or phrases you repeat to yourself to help combat negative or self-sabotaging thoughts. These affirmations act as gentle reminders to reinforce a positive self-image and an optimistic outlook toward life. They can remind you of your strength, capability, and worth.
The effectiveness of affirmations comes from their repetition. By frequently affirming positive statements, you can create a pattern of optimistic thoughts. Over time, these positive thoughts can overshadow the negative self-talk that can often creep for many of us during challenging periods.
The difference between positive affirmations and toxic positivity
Toxic positivity is the overemphasis on maintaining a happy or positive outlook, often dismissing the complexity of human emotions and individual experiences. It's what happens when you gloss over problems or emotions with a facade of positivity rather than facing and dealing with them authentically.
Toxic positivity tends to dismiss any “negative” emotions, urging individuals to focus only on the “positive” aspects, which can lead to emotional invalidation.
A common misconception is that positive affirmations promote toxic positivity and encourage you to ignore negative emotions. However, positive affirmations can foster a more positive mindset while also acknowledging and processing negative feelings.
They’re not used to dismiss the reality of situations or suppress your true feelings. Instead, they help you empower yourself to meet challenges with a stronger, more optimistic approach.
When you use affirmations, you’re telling yourself that—despite the hurdles—you have the capability and the strength to overcome them. Practiced mindfully, positive affirmations can help bolster self-esteem and enhance overall mental wellness.
How do positive affirmations work?
Positive affirmations are rooted in self-affirmation theory: Helping you maintain a positive self-image to influence your attitudes and behaviors.
Positive affirmations can create new neural pathways: The brain's ability to adapt can enable the creation of new, positive neural pathways. Repeated positive affirmations can gradually make positive thinking a habit through this mechanism.
Positive affirmations can help tackle cognitive dissonance: When there’s a mismatch between your beliefs and actions, positive affirmations can help align your thoughts and activities with your desired outcomes, promoting a coherent self-image.
Positive affirmations can train your brain: Repeating positive affirmations is like training your brain towards more positive empowering thinking, just like physical training shapes your muscles.
Positive affirmations are simple phrases with a significant impact: Even simple phrases like “I am capable” or “I deserve love” can work behind the scenes to craft a positive and empowering narrative about yourself that helps to boost resilience.
Positive affirmations are diverse and inclusive: Affirmations can be applied specifically to your circumstances, making the practice inclusive and adaptable for everyone.
Positive affirmations go beyond a feel-good activity: Grounded in solid psychological and neurological principles, positive affirmations may help you foster a more positive self-image and an optimistic outlook on life’s challenges and opportunities.
How long should positive affirmations be? And why is it important to keep them short?
The choice of words for your positive affirmations is vast, but it's beneficial to keep them concise. Short, positive affirmations are specific and easy to remember, making them practical for daily use, particularly during challenging or stressful situations.
Imagine you're nervous before a big presentation or meeting. Having a short, impactful phrase like “I am confident” or “I am capable” can serve as a quick mental boost, helping to shift your mindset from doubt to self-assurance.
How you can use positive affirmations to benefit your mental health
Harnessing the benefits of positive affirmations can be a supportive practice when it comes to your mental health. Integrating positive affirmations into your daily routine can set a foundation for a mentally and emotionally healthier you.
Through this practice, you’re not only encouraged to foster a supportive inner dialogue, but you can also significantly impact your outlook on life, your relationships, and your overall happiness and wellbeing.
1. Reduce your stress levels
Recite positive affirmations during stressful times to help shift your focus from stressors to a place of capability. Try phrases such as “I can do hard things.”
💙 Stress can really weigh you down. Learn how to Overcome Stress and Anxiety with Dr. Julie Smith.
2. Boost your self-confidence with an affirmation
Remind yourself of your worth and abilities through affirmations. “I am lovable, I am worthy, I am enough” are all affirmations that may help foster a sense of self-assurance.
💙 You can enhance confidence for all those key moments in life with our Confidence Series.
3. Improve your mood
Use uplifting affirmations like “I deserve to feel light, happy, and free,” to encourage a positive shift in your emotions and help you to feel better when your mood is low.
4. Enhance your emotional resilience with affirmations
You can uplevel your own emotional resilience by affirming your strength and adaptability. Tell yourself, “I may not be there yet, but look how far I've come.”
5. Affirm self-compassion
Use affirmations to remind yourself of your humanity and worthiness when feeling overwhelmed. Repeat “I deserve my own compassion” to nurture a gentle attitude towards yourself.
6. Explore how affirmations may enhance positive relationships
Foster understanding and compassion with phrases like “We all just want to be loved” to help nurture positive relationships.
💙 Relationships can be challenging. Our Relationship with Others series sheds light on how to handle your relationships with a mindful touch.
7. Boost your mindfulness practice
Incorporating affirmations that promote presence and acceptance, such as “I can experience this moment without judgment,” can deepen your mindfulness practice.
💙 Positive affirmations are just one way to be mindful and kind to yourself. Learn more tips and tools with Mindfulness for Beginners with Jeff Warren.
8. Lean into a more hope-filled outlook
Cultivate a positive outlook by reciting affirmations that reflect hope and optimism when you’re feeling hopeless, like “I have the power to take my life in a new direction.”
9. Encourage yourself to adopt a growth mindset
Use affirmations as a foundation for building a growth mindset. Phrases like “I am more capable than I realize” can contribute to a broader perspective shift towards resilience and self-assurance.
10. Support your overall wellbeing
Embrace affirmations as a part of your daily routine to support your overall mental and emotional wellbeing. Phrases such as “I deserve my own care and attention” can help promote a holistic approach to your health.
💙 Affirming yourself positively is an important part of self-care. Learn more about how to nurture yourself with our Radical Self-Care series.
Try affirming yourself daily
Incorporating affirmations like these into your day can be a soothing and empowering practice. You might recite them during moments of reflection or write them down as part of a daily journaling practice. Over time, these affirmations can become your inner voice of encouragement.
Try bringing some of these affirmations to your daily routine to support your journey towards better mental health and wellbeing:
I give myself permission to grow at my own pace.
I trust in the timing of my life.
I am not my thoughts, feelings, or fears.
My feelings are valid.
My wellbeing is a priority.
I am allowed to put my needs first.
I choose to be kind to myself.
I appreciate myself just the way I am at this moment.
I give myself permission to struggle.
I can and I will.
💙 Try using one of our five Calm Journals to get you started.
Positive affirmations FAQs
What are daily positive affirmations?
Daily positive affirmations are upbeat statements or phrases you repeat to yourself every day that can foster a positive mindset and encourage personal growth. These affirmations can vary from person to person, reflecting personal goals, values, or areas of self-improvement.
The practice is about consciously choosing words to help eliminate something from your life or help create something new. Daily affirmations like “I am deserving of success” or “I trust the journey, even when I don’t understand it” can help shape a proactive and positive outlook toward your life.
What are 3 positive affirmations?
“I choose to focus on what I can control and let go of what I can’t.”
“I’m becoming a better version of myself every day.”
“I choose happiness.”
Repeating positive affirmations can have a profound impact on your mindset. It can help align your actions with your personal and professional goals.
Which affirmation is most powerful?
The power of an affirmation largely depends on how relevant and helpful it is for you. An affirmation that closely aligns with your beliefs, values, and state of mind will likely be the most powerful for you.
However, a universally empowering affirmation could be: “I have the power to create change.” This affirmation reinforces the idea of personal agency and the ability to positively influence the circumstances of your life.
What is a positive affirmation for difficult times?
During difficult times, a reassuring affirmation like “I am resilient and capable of overcoming challenges” can be supportive. This affirmation acknowledges the existence of challenges while also reinforcing your capability and resilience in navigating through them.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
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