One huge struggle you face when you’re depressed or anxious is having negative thoughts or feelings about yourself. Affirmations are positive assertions you make about yourself to help counteract the negative feelings and have a better outlook on life.

I first learned about affirmations during one of my therapy sessions when I was 16. My first therapist ever was Reba and she was amaaaaaazing. After sexual abuse I felt like absolute trash and hated myself and my body. Reba had a few exercises for me to start getting back some of my self-esteem and one of them was to write “I love me” 100 times in my journal.

It was really hard for me to start but once I got going it felt better. She told me to read that page, preferably out loud, over and over again. Instead of bashing myself all the time, I had something positive to tell myself to begin to change my thoughts. What you focus on is what occupies your mind. It’s hard work but you can change your thoughts and changing your thoughts can change your life.

Creating and reading daily affirmations can help you get started. I’m providing some examples to get you started. Feel free to use these and add more that are personal to you.

Daily Affirmations for the Depressed and Anxious

I love myself unconditionally.
I am in control of my thoughts and my life.
I am loveable.
I am beautiful.
I am strong.
My depression and/or anxiety does not define me.
I can choose to have positive thoughts.
My challenges make me stronger.
I enjoy the simple things in life that bring me happiness.
I am a fighter.
I’ve survived all of the difficult moments in my life.
I know and love my heart. Other people’s opinions of me don’t matter and they don’t define who I am.
I am okay with myself and how my life is right now.
I am worthy of having great relationships. I will not settle.
I am peaceful.
I will not tolerate toxic people in my life.

After you’ve created some of your own affirmations, read them every single day – preferably out loud and in the morning (at the very least). You’ll begin your day reading over what’s important to you and what you’re capable of and it’ll help you set a positive tone to your day.

A great book that talks about daily affirmations is The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

The Miracle Morning

The Miracle Morning affirmations

The book includes several ways to start your morning in a positive way but my favorite part is where it talks about daily affirmations. I’m good at creating a list for myself but I struggle to remember to read them often and that’s the most important part!

Q. Are you familiar with affirmations? Do you use them?

xo Mindi

The post A. Create Daily AFFIRMATIONS + 16 Examples to Start Saying Now appeared first on Lifting Makes Me Happy.