101+ Morning Affirmations For Anxiety & Depression Sufferers

May 25th, 2024

By Aletheia Luna

Guest writer for Wake Up World

Morning affirmations can either be devastatingly useless or stunningly impactful.

It all depends on how we approach them.

On one hand, we can use affirmations to put a sparkly feel-good bandaid over our deeper core issues. (This is how most people approach them.) But on the other, we can also use affirmations to hold space for ourselves, honor how we feel, and reprogram our unconscious thinking patterns.

As such, affirmations can either be tremendous tools of self-love and empowerment or slimy vehicles of spiritual bypassing.

There is perhaps no other self-growth tool out there that is as polarized in terms of how it’s approached or used.

If you struggle with anxiety or depression, you’ll find the morning affirmations in this article nurturing, healing, and reinvigorating. But first, what exactly are affirmations?

What Are Affirmations?

Affirmations are simple but powerful statements that we say to ourselves in times of need. Quite literally, an affirmation is a practice of affirming that something is true. As such, affirmations are essentially statements of truth. When said repeatedly, and with sincerity, affirmations help to reprogram and remove the negative unconscious beliefs that we carry about ourselves, others, and the world.

American author Louise Hay describes affirmations in this way:

Put simply, whatever we say or think is an affirmation. All of your self-talk, the dialogue in your head, is a stream of affirmations. These affirmations are messages to your subconscious that establish habitual ways of thinking and behaving.

If all our thoughts are essentially unconscious affirmations that shape our lives accordingly, consciously chosen affirmations help to change the way we think and therefore behave. And when our behavior changes, our lives are also profoundly transformed.

Why Practice Morning Affirmations?

The reason why practicing morning affirmations is so powerful is that our minds are the most open, receptive, and fluid at this time of day. In other words, if you’d like to make the greatest impact on your unconscious mind, saying a morning affirmation ensures that your deep mind gets the message.

As we progress through the day, our minds become sharper and more analytical (which is not so great for affirmation practice). Yes, you can certainly say affirmations during the day, but this usually requires double or triple the effort that it takes to say a morning affirmation. If morning affirmations aren’t quite your thing, you can also try evening affirmations right before bed (your brain will usually be tired and receptive at this point).

How to Practice the Following Morning Affirmations

Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Affirmations aren’t about denying or avoiding what you feel. If you feel any uncomfortable feeling, hold space for it. You can even affirm to yourself, “I am allowed to feel this” and then take a slow, deep breath and focus on your body. Try to feel your discomfort in the body without giving it a story. For example, if you feel anxious and wired-up, notice how that feels in your body as a purely physical feeling. Give yourself permission to sit with these feelings for one minute undisturbed, minimum, without trying to attach ideas or thoughts to what’s going on. Our minds tend to make the depression and anxiety that we experience worse by creating dramatic stories – see if you can loosen the story and just focus on the physical sensation. Often, this simple practice is enough to reduce the frazzled/numb feelings (and often release them).
• Choose one affirmation at a time. Saying too many affirmations tends to confuse the mind. Just stick to one that you really like. You can always change it tomorrow.
• Choose an affirmation that you genuinely believe. If you’re extremely uncomfortable saying a certain affirmation because it feels false to you, don’t. Choose one that you resonate with or would dearly love to feel/experience.
• Say your affirmation with sincere feeling. This is the secret ingredient to effective morning affirmations: infuse them with feelings such as longing, desire, hope, passion, and so forth. If you struggle to feel anything while saying your affirmation, place a hand over your heart and close your eyes. This simple action often creates an energetic link between your mind and heart, making it easier to say powerful affirmations.
• Use your mirror. Using your household mirror amplifies the power of your morning affirmations tremendously. Gently gaze into your eyes and say your affirmation with feeling. What arises within you? It’s okay to have mixed feelings or even to feel embarrassed/self-loathing. Just understand that your inner critic is one part of you. Keep affirming your chosen statement while acknowledging how you feel, and eventually, this practice will become easier. (Learn more about mirror work.)

Here are some other common questions:

• Do I say my affirmation out loud or in my head? The choice is yours. Besides, you don’t have to pick either/or, you can do both depending on what’s convenient for you. Personally, I like to say my affirmations out loud (but with a quiet voice) as it makes them feel more ‘real.’
• Do I repeat the affirmations? Yes, repeating your affirmations in the morning up to ten or more times sends a strong message to your unconscious mind.
• What else can I do with the affirmations? You don’t have to just say your affirmations, you can also write them on sticky notes and post them around your house, create artwork based on them, create oracle cards, or use them as your desktop/phone screensaver. Get creative! There are many wonderful ways of reprogramming your subconscious mind with affirmations

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in the comments!

101+ Morning Affirmations For Anxiety and Depression Sufferers

Anyone can say the following morning affirmations.

But I have chosen to specify those who suffer from anxiety and depression for one important reason: these are the people who often need morning affirmations the most.

Those who suffer from anxiety and/or depression can attest to the fact that it makes life extremely difficult at times. Even just getting out of bed and facing the day can feel like a gargantuan task. When life feels empty or terrifying, we desperately need to feel a sense of empowerment. And affirmations can be a simple way of finding that hope and self-sovereignty again.

While I’m not claiming that saying morning affirmations will fix everything, they will help you to feel better – even if that’s just a tiny bit. Sometimes, feeling just a tiny bit better makes all the difference in the world.

Below you’ll find a large variety of morning affirmations to choose from. I’ve divided these into themes for easy perusal. Don’t forget that you can download this list of affirmations as a free printable PDF:

Morning Affirmations For Stress Relief

1. It’s okay to slow down.
2. I am brave.
3. I relax and breathe deeply.
4. I take a deep breath in and out.
5. I radiate peaceful energy.
6. I’m doing the best I can, and that’s a beautiful thing.
7. I let go and let be.
8. I let go of fear and replace it with love.
9. My mind is slowing down.
10. I am at peace.
11. All is well.
12. I am safe and supported.
13. I am centered.
14. I am the eye of the storm.

Morning Affirmations For Confidence

1. I can do this.
2. I am proud of all that I am.
3. I am, and always will be, enough.
4. I am worthy.
5. I deserve love.
6. I deserve happiness.
7. I deserve peace.
8. I deserve success.
9. I choose to trust my abilities.
10. I embrace my vulnerability.
11. My sensitivity is my strength.
12. There is no such thing as mistakes, only lessons.
13. My inner gifts will change the world.
14. I set clear boundaries with confidence.
15. The only approval I’ll ever need is mine.
16. I stand tall and brave in my authentic self.
17. I celebrate my achievements, no matter how small.
18. I put one foot in front of the other.

Morning Affirmations For Inner Strength

1. I am courageous.
2. I create the life I want.
3. I am calm, confident, and powerful.
4. I am a powerful creator.
5. I have what it takes to succeed.
6. I have all that I need to thrive.
7. I am fierce.
8. I have all the inner strength I need.
9. I’ve got this.
10. I believe in myself relentlessly.
11. I embrace all my fears.
12. I am self-sovereign.
13. I say no clearly and firmly.

Morning Affirmations For Happiness

1. I am thankful for all that I have.
2. I have a beautiful heart and soul.
3. After winter comes spring.
4. I embrace joy.
5. My heart is open.
6. Life supports me.
7. I feel gratitude for the little things.
8. I radiate happiness and well-being.
9. Happiness is my birthright.
10. Today I start fresh.
11. Today is a new beginning.
12. Today I embrace life in all its sadness and joy.

Morning Affirmations For Hope

1. I decide what path to take.
2. My future is full of promise.
3. All things change.
4. There is always another way.
5. I have many choices.
6. I choose hope.
7. I choose to have faith.
8. I choose to trust.
9. I find light in the darkest places.
10. I am walking in the right direction.
11. I am the caterpillar about to turn into a butterfly.
12. I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
13. I blaze my own unique path.
14. I choose a path of healing.
15. I calmly ride the ups and downs of life.

Morning Affirmations For Self-Love

1. I nurture my inner child.
2. I radiate love and self-compassion.
3. I embrace all that I am.
4. I hold space for my vulnerability.
5. My needs are important and I value them.
6. I accept myself unconditionally.
7. I am loved.
8. I speak to myself with love and respect.
9. I am unique.
10. I am whole and complete already.
11. I commit to my well-being.
12. I treat my body with loving-kindness.
13. I lovingly hold space for my feelings.
14. It’s okay to feel sad/scared, I accept myself.

Morning Affirmations For Soul Connection

1. I trust my intuition.
2. I am a spiritual being having a human experience.
3. I am Whole.
4. I am Love.
5. I am Peace.
6. I am Freedom.
7. I am Joy.
8. I let go and live in love.
9. All things are working for me, not to me.
10. All experiences in life are lessons to be learned.
11. I am open to healing.
12. I connect with my Soul in little ways, each day.
13. I am in the flow.
14. I am divinely guided.
15. I am an infinite being.
16. My Soul is full of warmth, wisdom, and love.
17. The Divine is within and around me, protecting me.
18. I am a piece of the Divine.
19. I Am.

What’s the next step?

Simply choose one of the affirmations above and follow my advice in the article. You can even dedicate one week to these morning affirmations and see how you feel at the end (don’t forget to journal about your progress).

And finally, remember that you can download all the affirmations in this article in one printable PDF (it will come in handy!)

Tell me below what your favorite affirmation is from this list. Also, I’d love to hear anything else you have to share!

About the author:

Aletheia Luna is a prolific psychospiritual writer, author, and spiritual mentor whose work has touched the lives of millions worldwide. As a survivor of fundamentalist religious abuse, her mission is to help others find love, strength, and inner light in even the darkest places. She is the author of hundreds of popular articles, as well as numerous books and journals on the topics of Self-Love, Spiritual Awakening, and more. See more of her work at lonerwolf.com.

This article, “101+ Morning Affirmations For Anxiety & Depression Sufferers” was originally published on lonerwolf.com, and reproduced with permission.