Positive Affirmations for Anxiety

Positive Affirmations for Anxiety

Muhammad Ali truly believed and told himself that he was the greatest of all time, even before he was.  He affirmed this to himself and others, and lo and behold, he defeated many odds to become one of the greatest fighters of all time.  Affirmations are really great for when you want to feel a certain way, or see certain results, but you’re just not quite there yet. Affirmations state how you want to feel, so that you can project them out and rewire your subconscious.  In fact, the actual definition of affirmation is “emotional support or encouragement.” Even Sigmund Freud researched the connection between rewriting messages and manifesting positive change with affirmations.    

I’ve found the best way to do affirmations is to first, express how I am feeling (no matter how crazy it is) and then flip it around to rewire my thoughts.  Here are some examples of positive affirmations for when you are feeling anxious.  

Anxious Thought:

I feel completely out of control of my body and my environment around me.

Positive Affirmation:

I am safe, calm and in control of my reactions.  

Anxious Thought:

I am worried that there is something really wrong with my mind and body.

Positive Affirmation:

I am healthy in my mind and body.  I have survived these feelings before and will survive them again. 

Anxious Thought:

Everything in my life seems to be going wrong, and it will only continue to go that way.  

Positive Affirmation:

I am happy and expect only the best things to happen to me.

Anxious Thought:

My anxiety is all consuming and has complete control of my life.

Positive Affirmation:

I am not my anxiety and can live my life as I please. 

Anxious Thought:

I am scared of what the future holds.

Positive Affirmation   

I am present, live in the moment and can handle things as they come.  

In order for affirmations to really work, there has to be a lot of emotion and intention behind them.  This can be really difficult when you are spiraling in negativity and anxious thoughts. You basically have to crank out your best Oscar winning acting skills to convince yourself that you actually believe what you’re saying.  Saying the affirmations out loud while moving around really helps your body - I recommend a dance sequence to Florence + The Machine, but you do you. Also, repeating is believing. Even if you are unable to say them out loud while you are at work (I mean, you probably don’t want to) you can set a reminder on your phone to repeat them to yourself throughout the day.  Once I start to believe this positive self-talk, I feel happier and naturally more calm. So, Sigmund Freud just might be right and I'm here for it.  

For more on affirmations and the mind/body connection, read here.