You’ve probably seen affirmations online being touted as a cure-all or at least a method to change your life completely for the better. However, they might sound confusing, useless, or even cheesy. These are all understandable feelings, but affirmations for self-love, in particular, can really show that incremental, consistent changes to one’s mindset can have very noticeable positive effects.
What are self-love affirmations?
An affirmation is a statement that one makes in relation to something they want to accomplish, whether it’s about emotional growth, career growth, or other areas of life. An affirmation isn’t about the desire for the goal, but rather envisioning it as already done. For example, you wouldn’t say “I want to love myself.” Instead, you’d say “I love myself.”
Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction and/or manifesting or not, which has become very popular on the internet, affirmations can be useful to anyone. This includes anyone from the most spiritual of people to the most secular and skeptical.
There are generally two types of introspection and action that can be done in regards to deep-seated beliefs that people have about themselves. One is that people might be able to reverse their negative mental schemas through gratitude and seeing evidence in their life to prove them wrong. For example, if someone thinks that they don’t love themself and that they’re unlovable, they might realize that this is incorrect because they have friends, pets, and family who love them.

On the other hand, there are people that are unable to do this. Instead of applying outside information to their own mental schema, they’ll do the opposite. If someone like this thinks “I don’t love myself” and sees that friends and family love them, they might say “well, they must be lying to me or something, because I’m unlovable and nobody can ever really love and understand me.”
This is not to say that these thought patterns are mutually exclusive, however. Everyone has elements of themselves that they consider using the outside-in approach and vice versa. Some people even apply these different thought patterns to the same characteristics. What affirmations do is limit the power and presence of negative schemas and inside-out negative thought application by changing the person’s thought process itself.
How do you do affirmations?
Well, how you do self-love affirmations depends on what you want to do and what you feel is necessary. The most important part of affirmations is being mindful while doing them, making sure they really sink in. Also, being consistent is vital as well, because when you’re given a repeated message, you’ll probably start to believe it. Think about it this way – have you heard that smiling in the mirror every day will make you feel happier? It’s like that, but positive affirmations are verbal versions of it.
Just as an example, if you have features that make you feel unattractive because they don’t line up with current beauty standards, every morning when you look at yourself in the mirror you can say something like “I love myself. I feel happy and beautiful. I love every feature on my body and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m lifting myself and others like me up.”
This affirmation is obviously not exact since they are deeply personal and unique, but here you are speaking as if you have reached the end goal of your mental state. You might feel the opposite of everything you’ve said, desiring with every fiber of your body to change your appearance. You might not even want to look in the mirror as you say it. Over time, though, you’ll start to see that your mentality will really become more and more like your affirmations. The goals and thoughts you believed were unreachable will become mundane, and you’ll find that thinking them is like breathing.
Why do self-love affirmations?
If what was said above doesn’t convince you enough, here are some other reasons why you should do affirmations.
- Affirmations are Relatively Easy to do
Saying that they’re “easy” is a bit of misinformation. It might be extremely painful to unlearn years of negative thought cycles and societal standards, but in terms of the time commitment and employing them into a daily routine, affirmations are a super easy and flexible element. They can be repeated mentally at any time and any place, but they can also be spoken verbally at any time throughout the day at home.

Like exercise or learning any new skill, it will become easier with time. What may have been a struggle to say in the beginning, such as “I am lovable,” will become a baseline thought process that everything else you do operates on.
- Affirmations are Free to Create
Affirmations are an incredible free tool for improving mental health. All you need is the power of language, a bit of introspection, and 5-10 minutes every day to do them. Therapy and other mental health resources are extremely important, and this is not to say that affirmations are a valid replacement for therapy at all, but they can be a good buffer should you not have the financial resources to pursue therapy. They are a great way to practice self-love without even needing to buy a journal or any other resource. However, affirmations do pair well with journaling as it’s easier to remember things when they’re written down.
- Affirmations of Self-Love Shift the Root of Your Mentality
Shifting your base thinking by getting to the absolute root of the problem is extremely difficult, especially when your actions are guided by a certain negative principle. For example, you might think, “I am unlovable.” As stated above, if you apply the “outside-in” approach, you might be able to overcome it without doing affirmations for self-love. However, even if that’s your approach, affirmations are a good mental safety net.
Thought patterns, in their most raw state, are heavily guided by emotion. Even if you rationally know that you’ve achieved a lot, for example, you might still frequently think, “I am not enough. I need to do more.” This irrational thought can become a guiding principle for all actions if not put in check by some serious introspection.
Sometimes, no matter how many distractions and achievements are made, thought patterns will stay the same. That’s why affirmations are so important – they can shift the guiding principles that may influence negative action. Obviously, they’re not perfect because all people make mistakes, but they can drastically improve your mental schemas and principles.
- Prompt Growth in Other Areas
When you shift your thought cycles from negative spirals to positive, uplifting repeated thoughts, you’ll see that you’ll start to grow in other ways you didn’t think possible. For example, if you thought you were “ugly and unlovable,” you might have felt depressed, not wanted to look in a mirror, and felt like a burden to others.
When your mentality shifts, you’ll see that these overarching principles have their tendrils in areas of your life you didn’t even consider. By feeling beautiful and lovable, you might see that you’re making friends more easily, wearing the clothes that you want, and not being afraid to speak your mind.
- They Can Be Paired With Other Techniques
Finally, if you’re already doing other mental health techniques, affirmations can be paired seamlessly with them. They can either be great mental health practices in their own right or the condiments you can put on your main practices like meditation, journaling, or therapy.
If you go to therapy, you can apply affirmations in your free time to solidify the progress you’ve made. That, or you can apply them when journaling as an opening exercise along with daily gratitude. The possibilities are endless!
When you’re first starting out, it might feel cheesy and ridiculous. That’s ok, but try not to let it stop you. Even if you don’t take it seriously at first, as long as you’re consistent it should have some positive effect going forward. It’s extremely uncomfortable and even painful to create self-love affirmations that really do the heavy lifting that is healing. You might feel stupid for doing these self-love affirmations or you might feel bad when doing them at first, but that’s just the necessary friction for personal growth.
Growth is uncomfortable. It’s the discomfort that can make people step back and decide not to continue with their journeys towards happiness and self-assurance. However, affirmations of self-love can make easing into that growth much more comfortable with their repetition, consistency, and messages. Keep at it, and try affirmations today if you haven’t!

100 Affirmations for Self-Love
- Abundance fills my life with wonderful people and experiences.
- I enjoy prosperous living in body, mind, and spirit.
- Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!
- I have such an amazing life.
- Happiness is my birthright, I am worthy of all the good life has to offer and accept it now.
- I have everything I need to be happy right now.
- I am focused on enjoying life, and I find happiness wherever I look.
- I am effortlessly attracting health, wealth, happiness, and love.
- Abundance flows through my day.
- I have all the happiness, love and positive energy I need today to have the most amazing day.
- I feel so much joy and happiness at this moment and radiate that energy throughout my day. Every day in every way I am feeling happier and happier.
- I give myself permission to let go and be happy right now.
- I am so grateful now that I am a magnet for miracles, happiness, and joy.
- Today, I am allowing the energy of happiness to flow through me and fill me with joy.
- I choose to be happy and grateful today.
- I am surrounded by people who love and support me.
- I can brighten up anyone’s bad day.
- I can make a difference in this world.
- I will face my fear and get out of my comfort zone.
- I have a brave heart and a brave soul.
- It is okay to make mistakes and not know everything.
- I am excited to learn new things today.
- I am aware of my gift to the world and share it freely.
- I am compassionate with others and myself.
- I am a positive being, aware of my potential.
- There are no blocks I cannot overcome.
- I love to meet other people and make new friends.
- I am my best source of motivation.
- Challenges are opportunities to grow and improve.
- I attract positive people into my life.
- I make a difference by showing up every day and doing my best.
- I am becoming a better version of myself one day at a time.
- I am worthy of having what I want.
- I am grateful for my journey and its lessons.
- I accept compliments easily.
- Everything is possible.
- I am creative and open to new solutions.
- I choose to embrace the mystery of life.
- I already have what I need.
- What I want is already here or on its way.
- I appreciate all that I have.
- I allow everything to be as it is.
- I enjoy going with the flow.
- The more I let go, the better I feel.
- I live from a place of abundance.
- I release anything that doesn’t serve me.
- I believe in my abilities and express my true self with ease. \
- All I need is within me.
- I am stronger than I seem.
- I am braver than I think.
- I have unshakable faith.
- Miracles are taking place in my life.
- I love and accept myself for who I am.
- I radiate and receive love and respect.
- I am loved and respected wherever I go.
- I am unique in my talents and abilities and do not need validation from others.
- People see value in my services and I am rewarded graciously.
- I am self-reliant, creative, and persistent in whatever I do.
- I deserve all that is good.
- I am grateful for all the wonderful things in my life.
- I am full of loving, healthy, positive, and prosperous thoughts which eventually convert into my life experiences.
- I am unique and my dreams and aspirations are unique to myself.
- I do not need to prove myself to anyone.
- I am solution-driven.
- Every problem is a chance to grow.
- I am never alone in my pursuit of success.
- The universe supports me in expected and unexpected ways.
- I am not a prisoner of the past and live only in the moment.
- That way I enjoy life to the fullest.
- I am not a Tree and have the power to change myself how I see fit.
- Only I am responsible for making my choices and decisions.
- I am not selfish in giving priority to my desires.
- Every moment brings us a choice and I choose happiness no matter what my circumstances.
- I am flexible and open to new experiences.
- I think positively and expect the best.
- I am aware of my strength and act with confidence.
- I can identify my skill gap and act on it.
- Life is beautiful and rewarding.
- The Universe blesses me with health, happiness, and abundance.
- I appreciate the things I have.
- I rejoice in the love I receive.
- I am courageous.
- My eyes reflect the strength of my soul.
- I am positive and optimistic.
- The universe conspires to make me successful.
- I am passionate about what I do and that reflects by the enthusiasm in my work.
- I attract positive and helping people into my life.
- I am open to meeting people and creating positive and supportive relationships.
- I radiate love and inspire people.
- I am calm and peaceful.
- I take time to enjoy the little joys of life.
- I am in full control of my life and in complete harmony with the universe.
- I am stronger than my negative thoughts.
- I deserve the compliments I am given.
- Today, I will be positive.
- Obstacles are merely challenges to overcome.
- I am powerful, confident, and capable of achieving my goals.
- In every struggle lies a learning experience.
- I embrace my individuality.
- I believe in myself completely.
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