Self-affirmation is a powerful way to shift your mindset to more positive ways of thinking that can benefit overall well-being. In fact, research shows that positive self-affirmation can reduce stress, enhance performance, and open us up to healthy changes in behavior.
A simple statement like “I am enough, just as I am,” brings our self-worth into focus. As we return to it over the course of a day or week, it’s a reminder of our inherent self-worth. We’ll naturally reflect on the ways it resonates, the ways it doesn’t, and how that impacts our inner and outer lives. Even if an affirmation doesn’t resonate much the first few times we read or say it to ourselves, affirmations tend to work bit by bit, shifting our habitual patterns of thinking over time. Eventually, we can internalize a healthy thought—in the case of this example that might look like an embodied sense of self-worth. When our inner critic gets loud, we might be able to shift out of a negative story about ourselves more quickly and react with more self-compassion.
Of course, affirmations don’t directly change our external circumstances, but they can change our internal circumstances, causing a ripple effect that touches every area of our lives. Having a more open and accepting outlook can open us up to opportunities that we may not have noticed before. Feeling more solid in our sense of self might give us the courage we need to take a daring step we wouldn’t have otherwise.
Affirmations can be a great boost to our mindfulness practice. The power of affirmation largely lies in the way that they bring us out of autopilot mode and remind us to come more into line with our core values and intentions. They can offer a chance to reset, to come to the surface if we’ve been sucked into a spiral of rumination, burnout, or anxiety.
Join The Mindful Affirmations Challenge
Everyone’s journey with affirmations will be different, and we’d like to invite you to begin yours now, with us, for free.
Our team designed this challenge with care to support you in starting your 2024 with intention and self-compassion. The four-week challenge comes with a beautifully illustrated calendar and 28 days of unlocked content from Mindful and our friends at Mindfulness.com, journaling prompts, and invitations to connect with a like minded community of people on the same journey. It’s easy to join! Simply enter your email below.
The challenge is based on the Mindful Affirmations Card Deck we created in partnership with Mindfulness.com, to give you a taste of what the affirmations have to offer. It’s more than just a deck of cards with affirmations printed on them. Each affirmation is paired with an unlocked mindfulness coaching session and guided meditation on the Mindfulness.com app.
We use the term “challenge” lightly. While some may find it helpful to challenge themselves to a moment of mindfulness and self-affirmation each day for four weeks, some may take it slower and both ways are entirely OK. The journey is designed to be self-paced and to meet you where you are in the moment. We hope you’ll join us!