Our minds repeat things all day long, often without our permission. "I'm so tired." "Nothing ever works." "I can't." An affirmation is a way of choosing, on purpose, what we repeat instead.
Affirmations aren't about pretending. They're about remembering what is spiritually true, even when life doesn't look that way yet.
Draw an affirmation
Pick a theme, or leave it on "All." Read the words slowly, three times. Then close your eyes and let them settle.
How to use affirmations
Say your affirmation out loud if you can. Hearing your own voice makes the words more real. As you speak, imagine how you'd feel if the words were fully true, and stay with that feeling for a few breaths.
Use the same affirmation for a whole week. Write it on a card and keep it where you'll see it: the bathroom mirror, the car, your desk. You can also pair it with your breath, saying the first half as you breathe in and the second half as you breathe out.
Write your own
The most powerful affirmations are the ones you write yourself. Follow these four guides:
Present tense
"I am," not "I will be." The truth is already here.
Positive words
Say what you want, not what you don't. "I am calm," not "I am not anxious."
Short and simple
If you can't remember it, you won't use it. Aim for ten words or fewer.
Believable
If it feels too big, soften it: "I am learning to trust myself."