25 Daily Affirmations to Improve Your Mental Health

Key Takeaways

• Positive affirmations can help boost self-esteem and well-being.
• Writing affirmations in a journal or on sticky notes can make them more effective.

Daily affirmations are short statements that can help boost your esteem. You might use these statements to give yourself a little extra boost of confidence when facing a challenge or feeling down on yourself.

You may have noticed that your self-esteem is low and that you’ve been doing a lot of negative self-talk lately. Or you might be going through a crisis right now, and you’re looking for a way to move through it with a little more strength and optimism. Perhaps you are looking to reach a particular goal for yourself and want some positive reminders along the way about your inner strength and tenacity.

Whatever the case, you are looking for some positive daily affirmations to recite for your mental health. Well, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at the benefits of positive mental health affirmations, the best way to add them into your daily life, along with 25 inspiring affirmations to get you started. 

What Are Daily Affirmations?

Daily affirmations are short, written statements that are meant to give your self-esteem a positive boost. You can write them down or repeat them to yourself when you need them.

People often use mental health affirmations during times in life when they’re dealing with difficult circumstances or when they are experiencing more negative self-talk than usual.

Most of the time, a self-affirmation is something you write on your own, responding to whatever is going on in your life or whatever emotional challenge you are experiencing. But sometimes, it can be helpful to consult a list of positive mental health affirmations written by others for inspiration.

25 Positive Daily Affirmations

Positive self-affirmations are usually short, simple statements that you come up with on your own based on your own needs and emotions. But self-affirmations have a more universal application, too. It’s okay to use more generalized, pre-written affirmations if you feel that they apply well to you.

Here are some positive mental health affirmations to get you started:

1. I am a strong, capable person
2. I have done difficult things in the past, and I can do them again
3. I have experienced challenges in the past, and I am more resilient because of this
4. I am allowed to feel upset, angry, and sad sometimes—that’s part of being human
5. My personal boundaries are important, and I’m allowed to express my needs to others
6. “No” is a complete sentence, and I don’t have to explain or justify my boundaries
7. I am allowed to feel good and to experience pleasure in life
8. I am worthy of receiving good things and of accomplishing my goals in life
9. The past is the past, and my past doesn’t predict my future
10. I forgive myself for the mistakes I made, and I refuse to hold them against myself
11. I am allowed to take up space, to have desires, and to have a voice
12. I don’t have to give up my hopes and dreams
13. All this hard work I am putting into achieving my goals will pay off
14. I am capable of making healthy choices
15. I know my worth
16. I deserve to be loved and to love others
17. Growth is sometimes bumpy and isn’t always linear, but I will stay the course
18. Healing is within reach for me
19. I love my body, my mind, my dreams, and my goals
20. Negative thoughts do not serve me anymore
21. I will surround myself with people who love and support me unconditionally
22. I accept myself for who I am
23. With positive thoughts and self-confidence, I will be unstoppable
24. I am proud of myself and will continue to strive to do well
25. Today, I will do my best

How Do Daily Affirmations Work?

Positive mental health affirmations provide reminders about your self-worth, the special talents you have to offer to the world, your ability to handle difficult situations, and anything else it may be helpful to be reminded of.

As we move through life, it can be difficult to remember the positive aspects of ourselves, so having daily reminders of these can be a powerful mental health tool. This is especially true if you have been going through a period of negative thinking and negative self-talk.

Some researchers believe that positive self-affirmations elicit responses in the brain’s parts that are responsible for rewards and positive valuation. In other words, focusing on the positive aspects of yourself tells your brain that you have gained something special, similar to how a person feels when they’ve received an unexpected gift or been praised by someone they admire.

Benefits of Positive Mental Health Affirmations

Adding positive self-affirmations to your daily routine can help you feel good, but research has also found that these statements can have a number of mental health benefits as well.

For example, positive mental health affirmations have been found to reduce stress, increase feelings of wellness, and help people adopt behavioral changes that can improve mental health.

Foster Better Mental Well-Being

A 2014 study published in the Annual Review of Psychology found that when people face circumstances that decrease feelings of self-worth and make it more difficult to grow and adapt, positive self-affirmations can help. Moreover, these affirmations can improve health and strengthen relationships. According to the study, self-affirmations can have positive benefits that last for many months or even years.

Better Health Behaviors

Self-affirmation has several health benefits. For example, studies have found that self-affirmation can help people adopt healthier lifestyles and behaviors.  Self-affirmation may also help people become more physically active and adopt healthier attitudes about engaging in physical activities.

Affirmations can be a source of strength if facing a health challenge. One promising study found that self-affirmation practice helped cancer survivors adopt more optimistic attitudes and has the potential to improve their health.

Reduced Stress

When you experience chronic stress, it can be difficult to make clear-headed decisions and solve problems. A 2013 study published in PLOS ONE found that practicing self-affirmation can improve problem-solving skills among chronically stressed individuals.

Stronger Parenting Abilities

Finally, self-affirmation exercises may benefit parents. A 2020 study that appeared in Frontiers in Psychology found that positive self-affirmation increased parents’ self-confidence and interest in seeking supportive parenting resources. This was especially helpful to parents who frequently fear judgment from others regarding their parenting abilities.

How to Use Mental Health Affirmations

There are no hard-and-fast rules for how to use positive mental health affirmations or how they are meant to work. Most people end up writing down their affirmations, usually in some type of journal.

Studies have shown that journaling is a wonderful way to reduce distress, anxiety, and feelings of depression and increase feelings of positive well-being.

Writing your affirmations in a journal isn’t the only option, though. Here are other ideas:

• Write your affirmations on sticky notes and place them in places you’ll see them throughout your day
• Write your affirmations in the notes section of your phone or as a reminder that pops up on your phone
• Set a goal and aim for one affirmation each day
• Consider making time for affirmations at the same time each day—first thing in the morning or right before you go to sleep, for example—so that you will stick to a routine
• Consider having an affirmation “buddy” who you will share affirmations with to hold yourself accountable

When You Need More Support

Affirmations can be a great self-help strategy, but they can replace treatment for mental health conditions. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you might need more support.

If you are experiencing constant negative self-talk, symptoms of depression or anxiety, or are finding it difficult to function in your day-to-day life, you should connect with a mental health professional. Your mental health is worth caring for, and you deserve to feel well.

If you are looking for a little pick-me-up that can give you an added boost of confidence, positive daily affirmations can be a great tool. You might try picking a few statements that resonate with you and write them in a journal or add them to a sticky note in a visible place. But remember, these affirmations can’t take the place of therapy or medication if you have a mental health condition like anxiety or depression. If you have symptoms that are causing distress or interfering with your ability to function, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Hill Z, Spiegel M, Gennetian LA. Pride-based self-affirmations and parenting programs. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020;11:910. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00910

2. Cascio CN, O’Donnell MB, Tinney FJ, et al. Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2016;11(4):621-629. doi:10.1093/scan/nsv136

3. Cohen GL, Sherman DK. The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology. 2014;65:333–371. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115137

4. Epton T, Harris PR, Kane R, et al. The impact of self-affirmation on health-behavior change: a meta-analysis. Health Psychology. 2015 Mar;34(3):187-96. doi:10.1037/hea0000116

5. Cooke R, Trebaczyk H, Harris PR, et al. Self-affirmation promotes physical activity. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 2014;36(2):217-23. doi:10.1123/jsep.2013-0041

6. Taber JM, Klein WMP, Ferrer RA, et al. Optimism and Spontaneous Self-affirmation are Associated with Lower Likelihood of Cognitive Impairment and Greater Positive Affect among Cancer Survivors. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2015;50(2). doi:10.1007/s12160-015-9745-9

7. Creswell JD, Dutcher JM, Klein WMP, et al. Self-affirmation improves problem-solving under stress. PLOS One. 2013;8(5):e62593. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062593

8. Smyth JM, Johnson JA, Auer BJ, et al. Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients With Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mental Health. 2018;5(4):e11290. doi:10.2196/11290

By Wendy Wisner

Wendy Wisner is a health and parenting writer, lactation consultant (IBCLC), and mom to two awesome sons.

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