160 Positive Affirmations for All Aspects of Your Life
Everyone needs a positive boost now and then. But you don’t have to wait for it to come from somewhere else. Use positive affirmations to lift your own spirits.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Positive Affirmation?
- 11 Powerful Daily Affirmations
- 9 Morning Affirmations
- 11 Self-Love Affirmations
- 10 Career Affirmations
- 9 Health Affirmations
- 9 Positive Affirmations for Anxiety
- 11 Affirmations for Confidence
- 12 Short Positive Affirmations
- 10 Positive Affirmations for Work
- 12 Affirmations for Depression
- 9 Body Positive Affirmations
- 10 Positive Affirmations for Self-Esteem
- 10 Self Care Affirmations
- 10 Positive Affirmations for Relationships
- 17 Affirming Words
- Benefits of Positive Affirmations
- Start Your Daily Affirmation Practice
“I’m not good enough.” “I’ll never achieve this goal.” “I never do anything right.” Have you ever caught yourself thinking a negative thought? Well, you’re not alone. The truth is, we all experience negative thoughts—often without even realizing it. The problem is, regularly thinking negative thoughts can be detrimental to our self-esteem, outlook on life, resilience, and motivation to pursue meaningful activities. But that's where positive affirmations can come in.
Every time you think a negative thought, you strengthen its neural pathways in your brain, which makes it easier to choose this negative thought again in the future. Continue down this path, and this will eventually become your standard way of thinking about everything.
So how do you break the cycle of negativity?
The first step is to replace the negative thoughts with positive affirmations. The second is to practice these affirmations over and over again. Like a muscle, you can train your brain to form new neural pathways and make positive thoughts your new go-to option.
Whether you’ve never tried positive affirmations before or are looking to establish a more regular practice, this article is for you. In it, we’ll answer the following questions:
- What are positive affirmations?
- How should they be used?
- What benefits can you expect to experience from regular practice?
Most importantly, we’ll share 160 examples of affirmations you can use in just about any area of your life.
What Is a Positive Affirmation?
A positive affirmation is a brief statement designed to promote positive thinking. It’s a tool you can use to challenge and replace negative beliefs with ones that are happy and healthy.
Think of positive affirmations as exercises for your brain. As you repeat them, your brain rewires itself into believing the affirmation. As a result, your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions fall into alignment with the new belief.
You can use daily positive affirmations to challenge long-term negative beliefs. Take a bit of time in the morning to recite a set of affirmations in your head, speak them out loud while looking in the mirror, or write them out in a journal. You can even create your own affirmation cards—it’s creative, therapeutic, and makes it easy to practice your affirmations every day.
You can also use positive affirmations on an as-needed basis whenever you feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, insecure, nervous, or just generally not at your best.
If you’ve never tried using positive affirmations, the experience may seem a bit odd at first. The thought that you could someday 100% agree with the affirmation may seem impossible. However, it really does work, and there is scientific reasoning behind it.
Positive affirmations are based on self-affirmation theory—the idea that somewhere deep inside we are all highly motivated to protect our self-image. We all want to see ourselves as generally good, virtuous, loving, kind, capable, and useful to society. This is why, when affirmations align with our core values and what we believe it means to be good, they help us see that good in ourselves.
Positive Affirmation Examples
One of the best ways to come up with positive affirmations that are effective and relevant to your specific needs is to take a negative thought and turn it on its head. For example, if you find yourself thinking,
“I won’t get this job because I don’t have enough relevant experience”
you can turn it into a positive affirmation by writing the opposite:
“I have the necessary skills, knowledge, experience, and passion to do this job.”
Or you can turn the negative thought,
“I don’t have the willpower to eat healthy”
into “I can stay on track with eating healthy because it’s important to me.”
That being said, positive affirmations don’t always have to be born out of negative thoughts.
Keep reading to discover 160 examples of positive affirmations you can use to cultivate a positive, healthy mindset in any area of your life. Feel free to use them as is or as inspiration to craft your own personalized versions.
11 Powerful Daily Affirmations
- I grow and improve every day.
- I let go of all that no longer serves me.
- I have the power to create change.
- Every day is full of potential.
- I am capable of overcoming any challenge I face.
- I am creative and inspired.
- I inspire everyone around me.
- I am worthy of what I desire.
- I am in charge of my life.
- I am doing my best, and that is enough.
- I am proud of myself.
9 Morning Affirmations
- I am so grateful to be alive.
- Today, and every day, I am blessed.
- I am optimistic because today is a new day.
- Today will be a great day.
- Today is worth celebrating.
- I will succeed today.
- I can do anything I put my mind to.
- I am open to all the great things that today will bring.
- I am grateful for all that I have and all that is yet to come.
11 Self-Love Affirmations
- I know my worth.
- I treat myself kindly and with compassion.
- I give myself permission to be myself.
- I love myself deeply.
- I trust myself fully.
- I am allowed to take care of myself.
- I am worthy of respect and kindness.
- My needs and wants are important.
- I am allowed to feel good.
- I am still learning, so it’s okay to make mistakes.
- I am allowed to say “no.”
10 Career Affirmations
- I deserve success.
- Every step I take brings me closer to my goals.
- My potential for success is limitless.
- I know exactly what to do to achieve success.
- My contributions to the world are valuable.
- I am respected by my peers.
- There is room for me at the table.
- I am qualified to do what I do.
- Doors are opening for me.
- I deserve a fulfilling career.
9 Health Affirmations
- Every day I get healthier.
- I take care of mental and physical wellness.
- I nourish my body with healthy food.
- I trust my body to tell me what it needs.
- I am grateful for my body and all it does for me each day.
- My body grows stronger every day.
- I have the power to make good choices for my health.
- My body can do amazing things.
- My health is a gift.
9 Positive Affirmations for Anxiety
- I am present in this moment.
- I am in charge of my breathing.
- Difficult times help me appreciate the good times.
- I am grateful for the things I can control.
- I don’t worry about things I have no control over.
- If I keep doing it, it will get easier.
- I can get through this.
- I survived this before, I can do it again.
- I inhale peace, exhale doubt.
11 Affirmations for Confidence
- I love who I am.
- I radiate confidence.
- I don’t compare myself to others.
- The only validation I need is from myself.
- I can do amazing things.
- I am stronger than my fears.
- I release the fears that do not serve me.
- I believe in my abilities.
- It’s okay to leave my comfort zone.
- I am not scared of taking risks.
- I belong here, and I’m allowed to take up space.
12 Short Positive Affirmations
- I choose peace.
- All is well.
- I am enough.
- I have value.
- I am safe.
- I am loved.
- I am worthy.
- I will be okay.
- I am complete.
- I know my worth.
- I believe in myself.
- I am resilient.
10 Positive Affirmations for Work
- My job brings me joy and happiness.
- My work is important.
- I am focused and motivated to do my best work.
- My worth is determined by who I am, not by what I do.
- My life has balance.
- Rest is productive.
- I ask for help when I need it.
- No one is better at my job than I am.
- I am a valuable asset to my employer.
- I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and gain experience.
12 Affirmations for Depression
- This feeling won’t last forever.
- This is only temporary.
- I learn and grow through difficult times.
- I am becoming more resilient each day.
- I am stronger than I realize.
- I am not alone in this.
- It’s okay to ask for help.
- I can take this one day at a time.
- Tomorrow is a new day.
- A bad day is not a bad life.
- I am more than my depression.
- I can choose how much or little I want to accomplish each day.
9 Body Positive Affirmations
- My body is perfect just the way it is.
- I am grateful to be living in this body.
- I am beautiful.
- My body is worthy of being cared for.
- I feel strong and confident in my body.
- I feel blessed to have this body.
- I am defined by who I am inside, not how I look.
- My body does not determine my worth.
- It feels good to take care of my body.
10 Positive Affirmations for Self-Esteem
- I am beautifully unique.
- I accept myself exactly as I am now.
- I am perfect, just as I am.
- I am here to share my gifts with the world.
- I don’t criticize myself or others.
- My voice is important.
- I am worthy of the compliments I receive.
- I deserve everything good that comes to me.
- I have unique ideas to share with the world.
- Everything I need is within me.
10 Self Care Affirmations
- I’m allowed to take time for myself.
- I strive for balance in my life.
- I honor and respect my needs.
- Needing a break is not a weakness.
- I protect my inner peace.
- My well-being is my priority.
- I am in charge of how I spend my time.
- I honor my boundaries.
- Self care isn’t selfish.
- I am at my best when I take the time to rest.
10 Positive Affirmations for Relationships
- I surround myself with positive people who bring out the best in me.
- I get to choose who comes into my life.
- I don’t need anyone to complete me.
- I can let go of relationships that don’t serve me.
- I treat the people in my life with care, love, and kindness.
- I have healthy boundaries with the people in my life.
- The people in my life love and support me.
- I deserve healthy, mutually beneficial relationships.
- I communicate my needs easily in my relationships.
- I am grateful for the people in my life.
17 Affirming Words
If you’ve found affirmations in the list above that resonate with you, that’s great! But if you need something a little more specific to what you’re dealing with, feel free to write your own affirmations. Just be sure to include lots of positive words that will truly lift your spirits and lead you in the right direction. Here are a few great words to include:
- Brave
- Confident
- Creative
- Empowered
- Excited
- Focused
- Free
- Happy
- Healthy
- Joyful
- Inspired
- Optimistic
- Powerful
- Proud
- Radiant
- Strong
- Worthy
Benefits of Positive Affirmations
There are countless benefits to using positive affirmations. For one, they can help you get through challenging situations and periods in your life. And even if you’re already feeling pretty positive, you can use affirmations to further optimize your life and feel even better.
Below are a few more specific examples of how affirmations can help make a positive change in your life. Use them to:
- Reduce stress and become more resilient to stressful situations
- Alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression
- Control negative emotions
- Break bad habits
- Challenge limiting self-beliefs
- Overcome imposter syndrome
- Raise your self-esteem
- Improve your confidence
- Improve focus and concentration
- Deepen your meditation practice
- Set and achieve goals
- Improve your productivity
- Improve your relationships with others
- Improve your relationship with yourself
- Make advancements in your education or career
Start Your Daily Affirmation Practice
Hopefully, you’ve found lots of positive affirmations in this list to include in your own self care routine. Or maybe you’ve been inspired to write your own.
It may take some time to get used to practicing affirmations, so even if it feels awkward at first, be sure to stick with it through the first few days or weeks.
You’ll get better at it, and more importantly, start to experience the positive changes in your life in no time!
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