Affirmation journals for positive self-talk

Affirmations are a powerful way to motivate you to take action, help to focus on achieving your goals and break negative patterns or ways of thinking. Keeping a journal is an excellent way to encourage positive self-talk and help you step into your highest self. Affirmation journals are a way for you to practice self-care. Often, we take time to make ourselves feel good on the outside, so we should do the same for within.

So what are affirmations? Simply put, they are positive statements that can help you overcome self-sabotaging habits and expel negative thoughts. When you repeat them often enough and believe them, you can start to make positive changes and embody the person you want to be.

What do you write in an affirmation journal?

Many affirmation journals will come with prompts and exercises to help you on your way, but you can get started by identifying something you struggle with or negative thoughts you might have.

Replace the negative thought with a positive statement. For example, "I believe in myself and trust my own intuition" or "I am a successful person, I am loveable, I am confident and qualified at what I do."

When writing or speaking affirmations, make sure you use them in the present tense. Set a strong intention by understanding your struggle and choosing to believe in the power of your own mind.

Words are like spells, we can cast spells over the world by speaking words into existence, and we can change how people think, feel, and act - that is our gift. Do not underestimate the power of the written and spoken word.

With that in mind, let's look at the best affirmation journals filled with prompts and blank pages to release negative thinking patterns so that you can manifest your dream life.

Best affirmation journals

What do affirmations do?

A study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience used an MRI to demonstrate that practising self-affirmation activates the reward centres in your brain. By saying to yourself, “I deserve to get that promotion”, this statement will ignite the same reward centres that respond to other pleasurable experiences, such as eating a delicious meal or winning something.

Affirmations fire up your neural pathways and make transformations to those areas of the brain that makes you feel happy and positive.

Your brain is hardwired to create shortcuts. It can lead to cognitive biases, which are beliefs we all have without justification. It can present itself in many ways, but doubting ourselves gives us an easy excuse not to do something.

The magic of affirmations is that they take over these cognitive biases and teach your brain a new way to think about the world. These positive statements will subconsciously rewire your brain to see the world differently.

How many affirmations should I focus on?

This is entirely up to you. If you want to focus on one specific issue then focus on one affirmation. Sometimes if you require a little grounding, you can write multiple affirmations. The main takeaway is to listen to yourself. Do what you need at the moment. The key to the effectiveness of an affirmation is whether you believe in it.

What are some examples of affirmations?

Not too sure how to write an affirmation? Here is a list to take some inspiration from:

'I am doing my best, and that is enough.'

'Through the power of my thoughts and words, amazing transformations are happening in me and within my life.'

'I am doing all that I can with the tools that I have at the moment.'

'Today will be a productive day.'

'I am unique, and that is a gift.'

'Quality always trumps quantity.'

'I am allowed to fail to grow.'

'Does it make you happy? Does it make you proud? Then it’s good.'

'I am strong and powerful.'

'I have made mistakes, but I will not let them define me.'

'My life has meaning. What I do has meaning. My actions are meaningful and inspiring.'