Replace negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs with these positive daily affirmations
While May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we're firm believers that people everywhere need to be empowered to nurture and embrace their mental health every day of the year. After all, the daily stresses of modern life have the ability to impact anyone's internal dialogue and knowing how to navigate them is incredibly helpful. While there are many ways to boost your health, one of our favorite ways to nurture the mind is with mental health affirmations.
Not familiar? Mental health affirmations are short sayings rooted in capability. They're designed to make you feel capable of handling whatever comes your way, whether it be grief and sorrow, anxiety, depression, menopause, or anything in between. If you're thinking these sound a lot like quotes, you're not far off. However, unlike sad quotes for tough times, inspirational single mom quotes, or empowering Women's History Month quotes, mental health affirmations are universally applicable. They can be useful for children, teenagers, and adults of all ages. Perhaps your little one is having a tough time getting settled in elementary school, or maybe your teenager or young adult is struggling with feelings of self-worth. Perhaps, you or your best friend are going through a tumultuous breakup that's shaking your inner belief system. In any case, mental health affirmations can help, so keep reading to learn more.
What are daily affirmations?
Daily affirmations are short sayings that focus on a person's abilities. When said aloud, rehearsed in your mind, or written down, daily affirmations can help you feel more capable of overcoming hard situations, navigating uncomfortable relationships, tackling projects, and more. In that way, daily affirmations are a bit like your own personal cheerleader — they're meant to build you up.
How do daily affirmations work?
The idea behind positive affirmations is that if you say them repeatedly, they will eventually stick in your brain, thus making you believe in them wholeheartedly. According to The Biochemistry of Belief,
"When we change our thinking, we change our beliefs. When we change our beliefs, we change our behavior."
Some of the beliefs and behaviors that daily mental health affirmations can help alleviate include feelings of self-doubt, self-sabotage, high levels of stress, and more. In fact, research shows that practicing self-affirmations can help people perform better in stressful situations, making them more capable of problem-solving and accomplishing difficult tasks. Suffice to say, if you've been feeling bogged down by the stresses of daily life and simply existing in the modern world, mental health affirmations can help.
How to Choose a Mental Health Affirmation
Many, many positive daily affirmations exist, which can make it feel difficult to select just one. First of all, there's no harm in incorporating more than one mental health affirmation into your daily life. That said, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind when choosing your affirmation. While positivity is great, you don't want to edge into toxic positivity. After all, not every minute of every day is going to be happy-go-lucky. Because of this, it's helpful to acknowledge the challenges you're facing while simultaneously reassuring yourself that you can overcome them. For example,
"I have done difficult things in the past, and I can do them again."
How to Incorporate Daily Affirmations Into Your Life
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to weaving daily affirmations into your life. Daily affirmations are subjective. That said, there are a few ways you can incorporate a daily affirmation practice into your routine:
Write the daily affirmation down
Rehearse the daily affirmation in your head
Speak the daily affirmation aloud
Recite the daily affirmation to yourself in the mirror
30 Mental Health Affirmations
Now that you're up to speed on the power of mental health affirmations, it's time to pick one (or a few) to incorporate into your daily life. Ahead, find 30 positive mental health affirmations that will help set the tone of your day.
I am worthy just as I am.
My mind is a friend to my body.
I radiate positive energy.
I am in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.
I have done difficult things in the past, and I can do them again.
The past is the past, and my past doesn’t predict my future.
I love myself unconditionally.
This, too, will pass.
I accept my emotions and let them move through me.
I transcend negative beliefs and attract positivity.
I see the good in myself.
My diagnosis will not define my life.
I have the power to create the life I want.
I am divinely guided and protected at all times.
I deserve all that is good.
I do not have to prove myself to anyone.
I am at home in my body.
I welcome a sense of calm into my life.
Every thought I think creates my future. I choose to think positively.
I am enough. I have enough.
My personal boundaries are important, and I’m allowed to express my needs to others.
I do my best, and my best is good enough.
“No” is a complete sentence, and I don’t have to explain or justify my boundaries.
I can challenge my negative thoughts with positive ones.
I can overcome any stressful situation.
I wholeheartedly believe in myself.
I hold the key to my own happiness.
Every day is a new day full of hope, happiness, and health.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Healing is possible for me.
When to Seek Help
As helpful as positive affirmations can be, they're not a one-stop shop for solving mental health issues. For starters, positive mental health affirmations are cumulative, meaning they impact your thoughts, beliefs, and behavior over time — not immediately. That said, if you're feeling overwhelmed or hopeless, it's worthwhile to seek therapy, as licensed mental health professionals will be able to help you find the best solution for your needs.
Source: Woman's Day
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