Many people know the power of gratitude and the importance of keeping a gratitude journal. In fact, in one of my posts, I shared how the TPC gratitude journal can completely change your life for the better.
But an affirmation journal may sound entirely new to you, even if you already know how powerful affirmations are.
Yes, you can start a journal specifically for positive affirmations.
Your journal will be a collection of powerful statements written by you. These statements can raise your energy and bring about lasting positive change in various aspects of your life.
The good news is that writing affirmation is pretty straightforward. But you might be at sea on how to go about creating an affirmation journal if you’ve not used positive affirmations to shape and shift your perspective before.
By the way, I suggest you check out this post if you need some great daily affirmations to help you face challenges like an alpha male.
In this article, I’ll show you how to develop powerful affirmations and how to use the tool to keep a journal. I’ll also share a few affirmation prompts and examples to help you get started in keeping your own affirmation journal.
Let’s begin.
How to Write Effective Affirmations
Let me say this right off the bat; there is no universal formula for writing the perfect affirmation. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all for these kinds of things.
However, from personal experience (and the experiences of many other experts in the field), I’ve found that certain techniques can help you develop affirmations that actually work for you.
Feel free to use the following suggestions.
Find the Right Affirmations
Search engines, such as Google, can spew out thousands of beautiful affirmation examples within seconds.
Guess what, though?
Search engines can only suggest generic phrases but can’t choose the right words for you. And the phrases won’t have the same effect if they don’t resonate with you.
The right affirmations must come from deep within you.
How do you dig deep and develop statements that completely resonate with you? Here are two simple steps I use, and I’m positive you’ll find them helpful:
- Think about the not-so-pleasant things you would like to change in your life. Go ahead and write them down on one page of your affirmation journal.
- On the next page, write positive statements that reflect the solutions you want.
It is easy to come up with powerful phrases that truly hold deeper meaning for you if you follow these simple steps.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from Google, Pinterest, or other sources.
However, looking inwards and creating direct responses to your biggest fears, worries, and insecurities can produce very powerful results in your life. I know this because I have experienced it firsthand!
Write Your Affirmations By Hand
Pen down the phrases you come up with after searching deep within you. Make sure to write the affirmations in your journal in your handwriting.
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with typing your affirmations if that’s what you want to do.
But keeping an electronic journal isn’t the same as having a physical book where you record your thoughts and feelings.
Here’s the deal.
Grabbing a pen and physically writing your affirmations on paper (in this case, inside your special journal) in your handwriting can create a type of connection in your brain that typing doesn’t.
But don’t take my word for it. A 2020 research study by neuroscientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggests that our brain learns more and remembers better when we write by hand than when we merely type and click.
An earlier study conducted in 2014 and published in the National Library of Medicine shows the effect of handwriting experience on functional brain development in children. The study finds that writing by hand is crucial in how the human brain processes letters.
Bottom line: writing your affirmations by hand affects your brain and mind more than typing them.
Write Short, Snappy Phrases
There is no hard and fast rule about the length of each affirmation. However, shorter phrases are easier to remember, more powerful, and impactful than lengthy essays.
More importantly, there is a higher chance of getting too specific when you write long affirmations.
While it is okay to be specific, getting into all the nitty-gritty details of something you want but don’t yet have can cause you to shoot yourself in the foot. Being too specific can create resistance and slow down manifestation.
Consider shortening your phrases and starting them with “I am” where possible.
Focus on Your Desires, Not What You Don’t Want
Earlier, I suggested that you think about the things that aren’t so great in your life, write them down, and then write positive responses or solutions to them.
That process is mainly to help you come up with affirmations that have meaning for you. Once you are done with the process, you must give your attention to what you want (the solutions you want to see in your life).
Here’s an example to help you understand better.
Suppose you worry too much about being judged by others, you are constantly self-conscious, and everyday interactions make you feel irrational fear – all of which are signs of social anxiety.
You identify this as something you want to change in your life, and you write the following affirmations:
“I am not worried about being judged. I have self-confidence.”
This may sound like a good affirmation at first blush, but there’s a big problem with the first part of the affirmation. It focuses on what you don’t want, which is worrying about being judged.
Here’s something you should be aware of.
Affirmations are instructions you give to your subconscious mind (or unconscious mind) to shift your perspectives, which alters your thinking pattern and actions for better results.
The subconscious mind doesn’t process negatives. It interprets all your thoughts as positives. In other words, if you think, “I am not worried about being judged,” your mind ignores the negative (not) and takes your statement to mean, “I am worried about being judged.”
It is a common mistake for people to affirm the opposite of what they really want by including negatives in their affirmations or even in their thoughts.
Many people declare, “I don’t want to be poor.” Unfortunately, their unconscious mind processes the thought to mean “I want to be poor.”
I’m sure you already get the gist.
So, focus on writing affirmations that reflect exactly what you want, not what you don’t want.
Focus on the Feelings
Affirmations are effective when they evoke certain emotions. You are not merely trying to memorize phrases when you write or say affirmations. Instead, you want to connect with the emotions behind the words you write and speak.
A statement may sound positive to someone but hold absolutely no meaning to you. For example, “I am financially abundant” may create negative energy and more resistance if you are broke and neck-deep in debt.
This is why generic affirmations usually don’t produce the desired effect.
You want to find phrases or statements that really feel good to you when you write and say them. Remember to use words that are believable for you.
Write in Present Tense
Write your affirmations as if you’ve already achieved your desires. This would help your mind accept the outcome of your positive statement. One way to do this is by starting your statements with the words, “I am.”
Write Affirmations for Different Areas of Your Life
Lastly, broaden your horizon to cover different areas of your life. You don’t have to limit yourself to areas of your life where you want to see changes.
You can affirm things that are going great in your life. In fact, it is a lot easier to do this, and the positive energy from focusing on the good aspects of your life can quickly impact other areas where you want to see improvement.
If focusing on a topic in your life is causing more resistance, consider switching to other areas. Use the opportunity to affirm well-being in the different areas of your life.
How to Keep an Affirmation Journal
First things first, get a fancy notebook – something you value. Of course, you don’t have to burn a hole in your wallet to buy a journal (although splurging on a Moleskine isn’t a bad idea). The idea is to get a special notebook to write your affirmations.
Once you are happy with your notebook, follow these suggestions to keep an affirmation journal.
- Choose a time and be consistent: I usually enjoy writing my affirmations in the morning. It feels like I’m setting the tone for the rest of my day. Some people prefer to do it before bedtime. This helps them to set intentions for the next day. You can write yours whenever it is more convenient for you. The key is to be consistent and do it every day roughly at the same time. This will help you make journaling a habit.
- Choose the number of affirmations to write: It is common to wonder how many affirmations you should focus on per day. This is entirely up to you. You can focus on a single affirmation if you are trying to focus on a specific issue or use multiple journal entries if you want to feel grounded in more than one area of your life. The most important thing is to pay attention to your needs at the moment and do what works for you.
- Write and repeat: You want your affirmations to sink into your mind and create a shift in your perspective. Writing one line of sentence for the day is less likely to produce that result. You need to write each of your affirmations several times – five, ten, or even more times. The goal is to build momentum around each topic or idea through repetition and focus.
Affirmation Prompts and Examples
Keeping a journal of affirmations isn’t difficult once you get the basics. A good way to start is to find a few ideas or prompts and let your words flow in that direction.
Here are some common prompts you can use to write your daily affirmations in your journal.
- Physical well-being
- Peace of mind
- Work and career
- Friends and family
- Romantic relationships
- Finances and money
- Hobbies and leisure
Using physical well-being from the above list as a prompt, here are some examples of affirmations you can write:
- I am strong and capable of great things.
- I choose to be happy.
- I am healthy, safe, happy, and free.
- My body is healthy and thriving.
- I am safe and protected.
- I love myself.
- I am beautiful.
- I am doing my best, and my best is enough.
- I believe in myself.
- I am loved and supported.
- I fully accept and love myself.
- I am strong, brave, and resilient.
- I trust my own wisdom.
- I am on a journey, ever-growing and developing.
- I am exactly where I need to be.
Make Affirmations Your Daily Habit
Realistically, you may not have the time to write affirmations and journal prompts every day, and that’s okay.
You can still make the practice part of your daily routine by pasting sticky notes, affirmation cards, or flashcards in different spots in your home or workplace (if the rules in your job allow you to do that).
The fridge, your computer, the mirror – you can stick a quick note with your affirmation in these places to constantly remind you of your mantras, desires, and manifestations.
Another way to make affirmations part of your daily routine is to record them in your voice and listen to them when you are short on time.
