30+ Self-Love Affirmations and Why Affirmations Are So Powerful
collaborative blog written by Isabel Carrington & Sustainable Bliss
what are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements that we can repeat to ourselves to help transform our current belief system.
They are known to be helpful for anyone looking for positive reframes on negative and limiting beliefs you might be holding onto, or are supportive when you simply need a boost of self-love, confidence, and good vibes.
Most of us have at least one story that we play out in our head and trust without a doubt. For example, if you’ve experienced a form of rejection in the past, you might carry the belief that you’re unworthy of love. This belief will likely impact your actions and subsequently your reality, maybe making it more challenging for you to be vulnerable with others or to develop deep relationships.
Fortunately, our brains can change and adapt. Neuroplasticity is a general umbrella term that refers to the brain’s ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experience.
Studies continue to show this ability to “reprogram” our brain, and learning to reframe our thoughts, stop negative thinking or ruminations, and think differently through the use of affirmations is a great way to create new pathways in our brain that serve us better.
We’re essentially creating new thinking patterns and habits that represent and reflect how we want to be living or feeling.
Beyond this, there are also many studies showing that our brain often perceives what’s real and what’s imagined, in very similar ways:
“Studies have shown that the neural processes supporting pure imagination are highly similar to those involved in perceiving the outside world: When we imagine a cat in our mind’s eye, a similar network of brain areas gets activated as when we see a real cat out in the world. These observations demonstrate that brain signals reflecting imagination and signals reflecting reality are completely intermixed in our brain, muddling the distinction between our inner world and the outside world, between reality and fantasy.”
Basically – the brain can become a little bit confused between imagination and reality. And we can use this piece of information to help us in processes like reframing, manifestation, and using affirmations to unwire our thought processes.
Oftentimes we have a tendency to focus on the negative, blame ourselves, and create harmful and untrue stories that then impact how we feel about ourselves.
But if instead, we can begin repeating positive affirmations, we can start to change our narrative and the stories we’re telling ourselves.
To help support you in this process, here are over 30 affirmations to help you to cultivate self-love and acceptance.
self-love and self-acceptance affirmations
I am whole and complete as I am.
My only competition is myself. I am continuously improving and continuously growing on my past self.
I am learning to forgive myself.
I recognize my own power and strength.
I am at peace with my mind, body and soul.
I am proud of the person I am becoming.
I am choosing to be gentle with myself, as a friend would be.
I respect myself as a divine and unique being.
I can honour and acknowledge my beauty.
I am capable of standing up for myself fearlessly.
I am worthy, as I am.
I admire myself.
I am worthy of being loved and cherished.
I am choosing to see any perceived failures as opportunities to grow and learn.
I accept the person I am in this moment.
I listen to my feelings and express them when needed.
I am full of potential and have so much to offer this world.
I know that I’m doing the best that I can with what I have.
I am focusing more on what I can control and less of what I can’t.
I am strong enough to handle anything that life throws at me.
I choose to love and accept myself regardless of where I currently am.
I am love and light.
I appreciate what my body does for me and in return treat it kindly.
I am growing and learning while being patient with myself each day.
I trust myself to know what is best for me and make the right decisions.
I am brave and courageous for carrying on even when times are hard.
I release any feelings of guilt or negativity that are no longer serving me.
I am worth an extra pause in the morning to appreciate how far I’ve come.
I am the only one that can determine my worth and I know I am inherently worthy.
how often should I use affirmations?
Affirmations make a perfect daily practice, so if you can incorporate them into your daily routine then do so! For example, each morning as you complete your skincare routine, you could say them to yourself while looking at your reflection in the mirror.
You may find this method to be particularly powerful because mirrors often reflect the feelings we have about ourselves back to us.
Or, every evening before you go to bed you could write down 2-3 affirmations to help put your mind at ease before you go to sleep.
Otherwise, we suggest using these affirmations as it’s comfortable for you. They’re particularly helpful for those times when you find yourself in moments of self-doubt, worry, or rumination, helping you to reframe and move forward, rather than continuously dwelling and staying stuck.
Another technique you may find supportive is from the book The Power Is Within You by motivational speaker and meditation expert Louise Hay.
Her suggestion is to make a recording of your own voice saying your chosen affirmations. This is meant to be listened to as you fall asleep. Louise states that it’s easier for new information to be received when we have reached our most relaxed state.
Please note that you shouldn't feel pressured to use affirmations. It’s completely okay if you decide not to.
However, they are a great tool to have on hand in your healing toolkit, to support you in your journeys of self-love, compassion, forgiveness, and self-care.
What to do if you don’t believe the affirmations
If you’re struggling to use affirmations because you feel there’s a misalignment and you don’t trust in what you’re saying, we have a couple suggestions!
01 - make them more believable.
Adding transition words like “I am choosing to believe that” or “I am leaning into the idea that” can be helpful for convincing yourself that you’re telling yourself the truth.
For some, you can also simply switch up the wording to something that is more truthful in the moment. For example, rather than telling yourself you’re a millionaire, maybe it makes more sense to say that you are abundant and capable of creating great wealth.
(P.s. if in your dream life you are a millionaire and you want to lean into that there’s also no problem telling yourself you’re a millionaire if it will help you raise your vibe! There’s no right or wrong way to do this.)
02 - consider the fact that we tell ourselves lies all the time.
This is something the well-known therapist and best-selling author Marisa Peer talks about a lot but it is such a great perspective to at least have in your back pocket.
For example, we say we’re “starving” when we’re simply hungry or that we’re a “failure” when in reality we just didn’t complete one thing (this goes back to the negative stories we tell ourselves!).
So, if you’re constantly telling yourself lies anyway, why not make them more positive lies.
And no, these affirmations aren’t actually lies, but if that’s what you have to tell yourself at the beginning then that’s okay!
journal prompts for self-love
What do you love about yourself?
What stories are you telling yourself? How can you reframe these to be more supportive?
Write a letter introducing yourself, where you can only point out positive things (pretend you’re talking about a friend!)
What affirmations resonated with you from this post? Or, create a list for yourself!
What makes you feel most empowered?
What’s something you would like to let go of?
Sustainable Bliss Collective endorses products & brands we genuinely love and support. If you end up making a purchase through one of our affiliate links, it will not cost you anything but we may earn a commission. Learn more here.
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about the author
Isabel Carrington is a wellness enthusiast and content writer who cares deeply about living consciously.
She is most passionate about following daily rituals that support who we want to become. Like many, Isabel has often felt disconnected to herself both internally and outwardly.
While struggling through these emotions, she came to the realization that self-care and a safe space to heal is essential. Isabel has since started a business of wellness boxes, spread the word of self-compassion through different platforms and collaborated with like-minded brands and individuals.
She is always seeking to support educational, sustainable and ethically-minded projects. Her beliefs are that in order to live a fulfilling life, we must build a relationship with ourselves and be authentic to who we are.
