We look at eight affirmations you can practise every day to bring about positive change and manage daily stressors

Using affirmations to bring about positive change to your mindset is a simple practice to welcome into your everyday routine. Whether that’s in the shower, brushing your teeth or drying your hair, practising affirmations as part of your daily routine can have a real impact on how we react to daily stressors.

An affirmation is a simple, short statement that aligns with how we want to mentally and physically feel. The process of repeating these affirmations in a relaxed environment encourages your subconscious thoughts to infiltrate your conscious mind, and encourages you to take back control over the way you think. The key here is repetition.

“Affirmations present your mind with an alternative narrative which seeps in on both an unconscious and conscious level.”

Creative mentor and NLP practitioner Nicola Rae-Wickham discusses the power of affirmations with Happiul, noting that affirmations are tools to change your narrative, and the way you speak to yourself. "Language is one of the ways our mind is influenced and we can use it to help us get the results we want. It is this information that impacts our behaviour.

"Affirmations present your mind with an alternative narrative which seeps in on both an unconscious and conscious level."

I’ve often questioned, do positive affirmations really work? Yes I feel a little bit silly and embarrassed when I say aloud, “I am enough,” or “I deeply and completely accept love and forgive myself.” But the feeling of empowerment when you’ve finished can be quite transformational.

Here are some affirmations you can try at home

1. Stress

When we’re in the moment, sometimes there is little that can be done to calm a stressful situation and stress can turn to panic. If you find yourself suddenly overwhelmed with stress, take five.

Although in our minds this can seem counter-intuitive because the longer we’re not doing the task at hand, the more stressed we become, trust me on this. You’ll feel physically calmer and will allow your mind a little headspace to think more clearly.

Physically step away from the stress, and repeat:

“I am freeing myself from stress, and can feel it leaving every pore of my body.”

2. Anxiety

Anxiety can be extremely overwhelming, and can sometimes stop us in our tracks, prevents us from living a life that's true to ourselves or it can shape the way we think and behave. Although practising positive affirmations won’t ‘cure’ your struggle with anxiety, they can work in harmony with other treatments, to help take control of your anxiety in daily life.

I love practising this affirmation from No Panic, “Anxiety might make me feel uncomfortable but I am in charge of my mind and body.”

3. Positivity

Right now it can feel like the world is a bit of a dark place, and I for one have been riding a variety of conflicting emotions. But positivity can come from within, it’s about mindset and searching for the light even when you feel surrounded by darkness.

Finding positivity allows you to approach situations from a different perspective, a healthy space where change can take place. If you’re struggling to find positivity in your thoughts, practice the following mantra:

“I am freeing my mind of all negative thoughts, and welcome positive thoughts with love and acceptance.”

4. Grief

Grief is an emotion that can often creep up on us when we least expect it, and hang around for a very long time. Bringing affirmations into a situation of grief can help manage your thoughts around the passing of a loved one, and understand how you want to see their passing.

Grief is a tremendous weight to carry and it’s ok to give yourself comfort by changing the narrative you have with yourself and evoking positive feelings from a very difficult time.

Practise acknowledging the past and present with the following, “It’s ok to feel deep sorrow at this time, but I choose to cherish and savour the love I have for my loved one.”

5. Anger

It’s important to acknowledge when you feel angry, then you can intervene and practice your positive affirmation to help calm you in the moment. Sometimes we can be so blinded by anger that we can’t think straight, and the key here is the repetition of the affirmation.

When you speak these words, try and imagine the physical feeling you are telling yourself to feel. The more you practice, the easier you will be able to manage the feeling of anger when it arises.

“I acknowledge my anger, but I choose to release this energy without losing control.”

6. Overwhelm

There’s a lot on our shoulders at the moment, and sometimes it can feel like we’re buckling under the weight of the world. Feelings of overwhelm can be particularly difficult to combat, especially when being busy and juggling eight plates at once has often been used as social validation for people in the past. But that’s got to stop.

Living in unprecedented times is enough to throw anyone off kilter. So before your overwhelming thoughts spiral into negative thoughts, practice the following affirmation.

“I can feel my mind clearing and my body balancing. I am more in control with every breath I take.”

7. Low self-esteem

When experiences amount to a struggle with low self-esteem, it can be especially tricky to pull ourselves back from those deep-seated feelings, we’ve learnt to feel this way. These feelings may mean you find it even more difficult to practise affirmations and truly engage with them, but they can be used to bring small amounts of change to your mindset. Try the following that focuses on one of your amazing strengths, your absolute uniqueness:

“I let go of negative thoughts about my [body/ abilities/ appearance] and welcome love and respect into my life. I am beautifully unique.”

8. Health

It might be that you have struggled with your health in the past, and find yourself falling into a pattern of negative thoughts when you feel slightly under the weather. As a chronic fatigue recoverer, I often start to feel a little panicky if I wake up feeling anything less than 100% and my mind can often catastrophise very quickly. Try the following affirmation and tap into the physical feelings associated with it:

“Today my body feels strong and capable. I am radiating good health.”