How Affirmations Can Transform Your Anxiety Journey

I’m sure that somewhere along your anxiety journey, you’ve come across affirmations, though don’t worry if you haven’t. I hadn’t before a year or two ago. I remember I bought myself an anxiety journal, and would constantly find myself endlessly googling examples of affirmations and finding any that I could apply to myself or situation. But I soon came to the realisation that it’s never that deep. First of all, journals are made for us, and no one else, so who cares if we misunderstand what an affirmation is? Secondly, we should try to write genuine affirmations that we truly believe will help us; not source second hand motivations by doom scrolling.

Before I do exactly that, and list examples, let me first explain what affirmations are, and what they should mean to you. The main purpose of affirmations, as the word suggests, is to affirm yourself of your strengths. Affirmations are important because it encourages self-reliance and resilience. By affirming ourselves, whether it be every morning, or whenever the mood strikes, we learn to have a more positive outlook on our lives and our anxieties. Especially when it’s easy with anxiety to fall into the habit of talking to yourself negatively; affirmations work to counteract those thoughts.

It can be a good habit to get into to state a daily affirmation every morning. This sets you up for the day, and starts your day off with adopting a positive mindset. However, it can be just as helpful to spend some time before bed setting an affirmation for the following day.

If you struggle to think of affirmations on the spot, it can be helpful to ask yourself “What would I benefit from hearing someone say right now?”, and sometimes, within that question, lies your answer. It’s important when practicing affirmations, to let your mind clear, and write/say something that you really need to hear. So, with that, let’s jump into some examples…

1. I am enough as I am.
2. I am safe and secure.
3. I am in control of my anxiety.
4. I trust in my ability to handle whatever comes my way.
5. I am strong and resilient.
6. I am patient and kind to myself.
7. I am deserving of rest and relaxation.
8. I am at peace with myself.
9. I am courageous and different.
10. I am capable of achieving my goals.

It can be difficult to get into the groove of setting daily affirmations for ourselves; it is a skill I too am yet to master, but like most things mental health related, it gets easier with time.

So, take your time, be patient with yourself, and learn to be your best source of reassurance. Because as much as we might hate it, sometimes the only person we have is ourselves – so it’s important to have the capabilities to talk positively to ourselves and not rely on others for motivation.

It’s all a part of the journey, so why not start now?