If you’ve recently entered the self-help or manifestation space, you’ve likely heard of affirmations, and I’m willing to bet you’ve heard people saying that simply repeating affirmations has changed their lives. You may be wondering what affirmations are and how saying words can possibly have an effect on your life. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place to find out!
This guide breaks down what affirmations are, how to affirm effectively, and the different styles, methods, and techniques that exist to help people actually shift into the version of themselves who already have what they want.
Whether you’re a beginner or someone who’s been trying to affirm for months with no success, this article will clear up confusion, help you stop overcomplicating things, and give you everything you need to start affirming in a way that actually works.
So, keep reading to learn how to affirm!
What Are Affirmations?
Affirmations are short, declarative, positive statements used to promote a positive mindset, foster personal growth, challenge negative thoughts, and reinforce a belief, identity, or desired outcome.
Self-help affirmations—affirmations used within the self-help space—are phrases that you repeat regularly with the intention of rewiring your brain: replacing negative thoughts with positive ones and negative thought patterns with ones that actually benefit you.
Manifestation affirmations—affirmations used within the manifestation space—are similarly used to rewire your subconscious mind and help you embody the version of yourself who already has your desires. You can think of them as mental scripts that, over time, can help you shift your identity, change your assumptions, and rewrite the story you’re living out.
Why Do People Say Affirmations Can Change Your Life?
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of affirmations, it may sound ridiculous or unbelievable that simply repeating certain phrases can have an effect on your life and the circumstances you experience, but science proves more and more each day that it can.
I would have to write an entire dissertation to cover every reason why affirmations can change your life, but I’ll try to keep it short for now and just cover a few of the basics.
Your Brain Believes What You Tell It
Starting with one of the simplest reasons why affirmations work: Your brain believes what you tell it (repeatedly).
Your subconscious mind doesn’t know what’s real versus what’s imagined.
Examples to help you understand this:
🌟You remembered something traumatic and had an anxiety attack
🌟You imagined a worst-case scenario and burst into tears
🌟You argued with someone in your head and felt your body getting hot from anger
🌟You watched a rom-com and felt giddy and excited while watching the main couple
🌟You watched a scary movie and felt your heart start to pound after a jump scare
Your brain didn’t understand that these things weren’t real threats or things happening to you in the present moment. For example, your subconscious mind didn’t register that the worst-case scenario you imagined wasn’t real, and thus, there was no reason to cry over it. But because you felt as if it were real, your body reacted as if it were.
This is similar to what happens when you repeat affirmations. Your subconscious accepts what you feed it constantly, and as your subconscious accepts your affirmations, they begin to feel real, which leads to you and your outer reality reacting as if they were.
This is why, for example, if you repeat, “I am confident,” your subconscious begins to accept that. You begin to have new, more positive thoughts about yourself, which will inevitably lead to you having more experiences that make you feel confident, which will lead to you taking actions that you never would’ve taken prior to gaining that confidence. These actions will lead to even more experiences that will bring you even more confidence, and so on.
In the Law of Assumption approach to manifestation, it’s believed that you don’t need to take action or feel a certain way to manifest your desires—only to persist in the assumption that they are already yours.
But regardless of whether you follow the Law of Assumption, the Law of Attraction, or any other law, one thing is true no matter what: The more you repeat something, the more it becomes a dominant belief. Over time, your thoughts shape your identity, and your identity shapes your behavior, which creates your reality.
This is where affirmations come in. Repeating affirmations (especially when done regularly and with intention) creates new neural pathways, essentially rewiring your brain to accept new truths about who you are and what’s possible for you.
The RAS: Your Brain’s “Filter”
Creating new neural pathways is possible through repetition, which is why repeating affirmations is so helpful in creating change within your life. This process is essential if you want to shift your identity or experience different circumstances and outcomes. But why? Because of the RAS.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of nerves at the base of your brain that acts like a filter for the information you receive. There are billions of bits of data all around you daily, but you can only take in so much. The RAS ensures that you only take in the data that it deems “relevant” to you—AKA, data that aligns with your current beliefs and identity.
When you affirm something repeatedly, you begin to believe it and become someone who identifies as the person for whom that affirmation is true. Then, your RAS begins to tune into that belief and filter your experience accordingly.
For example, if you affirm, “I can never find a job,” your RAS will deem all information that supports that belief as relevant to you and disregard information that doesn’t support that belief. But your RAS isn’t some biased bully. It simply supports you regardless of what you’re deciding to put your focus on.
If you stop affirming that you can never find a job and start affirming, “I always get opportunities,” your RAS will, over time, understand that this is where you’ve placed your focus, assume it must be true, and start deeming all information that supports that belief as relevant info.
Your brain will stop noticing proof of lack and start noticing chances, people for you to network with, and paths you may have ignored or been blind to before, because your RAS has one job: to prove you right, no matter what it is that you’re saying. And it’s not a hard job to do. After all, the opportunities were always there—you just weren’t attuned to them. You were attuned to experiencing lack—which you did. Because the RAS did its job.
So, you already have proof that it does what it’s supposed to do. Now, use this knowledge to bring the things that you actually want to experience into your life instead of focusing on the things you don’t.
I had the pleasure of learning more in-depth information about the RAS from the wonderful Joi Marshall, a ‘90s girl group legend-turned self-help coach. If you’d like to learn more about her incredible story as well as everything she’s learned about manifestation, the RAS, and flowing through life instead of struggling through it, you can check out her book, Be That Now here.
If you’d like to learn more about what I was able to learn from her infinite wisdom, you can read my article, 5 Eye-Opening Lessons Joi Marshall Of Jade Taught Me
Neuroplasticity and Repetition
If you’ve spent your entire life thinking a certain way, how can you believe that you’re capable of thinking differently, especially when you’re decades old already?
You can understand that your brain doesn’t stay the same forever and actually changes quite often.
You don’t think the same at ten as you do at twenty, nor do you think the same way you did when you were twenty once you hit forty. At sixty, you don’t think the same way you did at forty, and at eighty, you don’t think the same way you did at sixty.
People often feel that changing their thoughts and ways is impossible, especially as they age or have been stuck with the same thoughts, patterns, and circumstances for years—but your brain is ever-changing, and thinking differently is very much possible no matter what stage of life you’re in.
This is because of neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt over time. Just as negative self-talk can program you into insecurity, doubt, and stagnation over time, positive affirmations can help reprogram your internal narrative to one that’s much more productive and beneficial.
The key is repetition and consistency. When you affirm something often, it forms a new mental “groove” — a neural shortcut that becomes easier to access until it becomes automatic.
Affirmations and Emotional States
Thoughts are powerful, and emotions seem to be even more so. And they both go hand-in-hand.
We all take actions based on our emotions. When you feel sick, you take medicine. When you feel affectionate, you give people hugs. You act on your emotions, and your emotions both influence and are influenced by your thoughts. When you feel sick, you’re not typically thinking about going to a trampoline park and jumping around. When you feel affectionate, you’re not typically thinking about wanting to go somewhere secluded to be by yourself.
Affirmations influence your emotional baseline. Repeating affirmations like “I’m safe,” “I’m successful,” or “I’m loved” can generate emotions of calm, confidence, or joy. Repeating affirmations like “I’m in danger,” “I’m a failure,” or “Everyone hates me” can generate emotions of fear, anger, and despair.
Do you typically behave the same way you do when you feel happy while feeling sad? Do you behave the same way when feeling safe versus when feeling scared?
Your emotional state drives your behavior, and your behavior influences your reality.
That’s why affirmations are often used in therapy or things like sports psychology. They don’t just sound nice; they help regulate your state and prime you for action.
Your affirmations can lead you to more positive emotions, and these emotions can make a world of difference in your behaviors, patterns, habits—and therefore, your circumstances and results.
The List Is Endless
I’m a yapper, and I’ve already written more than I meant to for this section, but there’s still much more to write. The list of reasons why affirmations work seems to be endless—and once you realize how deeply your thoughts shape your experience, you start to understand that changing your thoughts really can change your life.
If you’d like to dig even deeper into the psychology and science behind affirmations, here are a few helpful topics you can research:
🌟Self-Affirmation Theory – Learn how affirmations support self-integrity and reduce defensiveness in the face of challenges.
🌟Positive Psychology – A field of psychology focused on strengths, optimism, and human flourishing. A lot of the studies here validate the role of self-talk and affirmations in mental health.
🌟Neuroplasticity – Dive into how your brain literally reshapes itself based on your patterns of thought and behavior.
🌟The Placebo Effect – An example of how belief alone can create real, measurable results in the body and mind.
If you’re already well-aware of how affirmations can change your life and want to know how to use them most effectively, keep reading!
What Does It Mean to Affirm?
By Google’s definition, to affirm is to “state as a fact; assert strongly and publicly.”
To affirm essentially means to deliberately choose your thoughts. It means repeating statements that align with what you want to experience until those statements become natural to you, and your subconscious accepts them as true.
In the Law of Assumption, affirmations are your thoughts and assumptions, and therefore, affirming means declaring who you are and what’s true for you now. Not “trying” to change something or begging for something to show up, but instead, deciding what’s true for you now, and thinking and speaking as if it’s the truth until your reality reflects that.
How to Affirm
If you’re new to saying affirmations, you may be wondering if there’s a right or wrong way to affirm, or what the most effective way to affirm is. There’s really no perfect formula for affirmations, and no need to overcomplicate it. You say and do what feels best and most natural to you, and as long as you’re doing that, you’re doing everything right.
But for some additional info on what you genuinely want to do versus avoid doing when affirming, you can read the dos and don’ts listed below. Remember: You don’t have to follow this to a T. There’s no such thing as a “perfect” affirmation. The point is just to speak to yourself positively.
Dos and Don’ts
🌟Do: Use positive affirmations (“I am confident”)
🌟Don’t: Use negative affirmations (”I am not insecure”)
🌟Why: It’s just overall better to keep your affirmations positive and focused on what you do want (confidence) instead of what you don’t want (insecurity).
🌟Do: Use past or present tense (”I am…” or “I have…”)
🌟Don’t: Use future tense (“I will…” or “I’m going to…”)
🌟Why: It’s better to claim what you want, who you are, and what you have right now. Remind yourself that it’s already done, you already have it right now, you already got it, etc. This allows you to more easily shift into the state of already being the person you’re affirming you are, and already having the things you’re affirming you have.
However, it’s not the tense of your affirmations that truly matters; it’s your assumptions that matter. What you assume to be true is true. If you assume that future tense affirmations work just fine for you, then you can feel free to use them. This isn’t some hardcore rule that you must follow. If you feel more comfortable using future-tense affirmations, you can! Past and present tense affirmations are just generally more recommended.
🌟Do: Use affirmations that feel natural, believable, and resonate with you.
🌟Don’t: Use affirmations that feel unnatural.
🌟Why: You don’t need to get caught up in finding the “perfect” affirmation or say affirmations that sound unnatural to you just because they worked for other people. Your affirmations are essentially just your thoughts, so they should feel like yours, not anyone else’s. If you don’t have a super formal vocabulary, your affirmations do not need to sound formal. If you don’t usually use slang, your affirmations do not need to include slang. Your affirmations don’t need to sound like poetry, and they don’t need to be a certain length. Use what works best for you.
🌟Do: Assume any affirmation you choose to use works.
🌟Don’t: Assume you need to find the perfect affirmation.
🌟Why: In the context of manifestation, people often feel compelled to create the “perfect” affirmation to manifest their desire. You don’t need to do that. You need to assume that whatever affirmations you choose to use “work” because it’s your assumptions that manifest.
🌟Do: Stay consistent with your affirmations.
🌟Don’t: Claim they don’t work after affirming for a day and seeing no change.
🌟Why: Some people feel desperate to change their circumstances and, therefore, are impatient. Others feel skeptical about affirmations and manifestation, and thus, enjoy having “gotcha” moments where they get to claim they tried affirming or manifesting, but it didn’t work. In both cases, people are not focusing on themselves and reprogramming their minds with their affirmations, but instead, focusing on outside circumstances. And in any case, you won’t see any change unless you stick with your affirmations, stay consistent for more than a day, and avoid getting upset if your whole life doesn’t do a complete 180 within a couple of hours of saying them.
(That’s not to say it’s impossible; Stranger things have happened.)
🌟Do: Affirm from the perspective of the person who has their desires.
🌟Don’t: Desperately affirm to get something.
🌟Why: This one is relevant to manifestation more than self-help. There’s a big argument in the Law of Assumption space about whether it’s okay to affirm to get something versus just affirming as the version of you who already has it. It’s an argument I want no parts of because the LOASS community can get crazy. (If I weren’t trying to keep this article semi-professional, I’d even say they get GHETTO.) But my personal opinion is that the Law of Assumption is the Law of Assumption, which means whatever you assume to be true is true. If you assume it’s fine to affirm to get things, that’s true. If you assume it’s not okay to affirm to get things, and instead, that you should affirm from the perspective of the person who already has them, that’s true.
I personally prefer to say my affirmations as the version of me who those affirmations are already true for. Affirmations are just thoughts, and since you should think from the perspective of the person who already has your desires to manifest them, I prefer to understand that I’m saying my affirmations, not because I want to get something, but because it’s already mine.
I personally don’t like feeling desperate and like, “If I just repeat this enough times, it has to happen! It has to come true! It will work!” I like repeating my affirmations and feeling calm, certain, and reassured knowing that my assumptions (affirmations) manifest, so it’s already done, I’m just reminding myself of that, and there’s nothing else for me to worry about “trying to get.”
But regardless of whether you’re affirming to get something or because you know you have it, repetition is key. These are just two very different mindsets to be in, and each comes with its own emotions, in my opinion. I personally enjoy the emotions that come along with affirming because you know it’s already done more, but in the Law of Assumption, it really doesn’t matter.
Assume your affirmations work no matter what, and you’ll be fine.
🌟Do: Chill out and just say the affirmations.
🌟Don’t: Overcomplicate it.
🌟Why: It’s truly not that serious. Have fun, say things that make you feel good, affirm what you want to be true as if it already is—or knowing that it will be true for you no matter what—and enjoy thinking from the perspective of the version of you who you wish to be. That’s it.
Common Mistakes People Make When Affirming
A lot of people really don’t want to pick the wrong affirmations, affirm wrong, or make any kind of mistakes when it comes to affirming. So, here are some common mistakes that most people make when affirming:
🌟Assuming they are or can affirm wrong
🌟Trying to figure out the perfect affirmations instead of just assuming whatever affirmations they choose to use are enough
🌟Changing affirmations constantly (Nothing wrong with this if you’re doing it because you want to, everything is wrong with this if you’re doing it because you feel your previous affirmations weren’t good enough and you’re trying to find the “perfect” one)
🌟Affirming in a way that feels performative or forced
🌟Saying affirmations for a few days and then getting mad and giving up when they don’t see immediate change
How to Know If Affirmations Are Working?
So, you’re saying your affirmations consistently…What now? How do you know if they’re working or not?
In terms of self-help:
🌟You feel calmer, more certain, or grounded
🌟You catch yourself thinking new thoughts automatically
🌟You respond to situations differently
🌟Your reactions, self-talk, and identity start shifting
In terms of manifestation:
🌟You’re assuming that they work…So you know they are.
🌟You’re assuming that you already have what you want anyway…So you know you do, and you’re just saying these affirmations to remind yourself of that
🌟You know it’s already done
🌟You catch yourself thinking new thoughts automatically
When You Should Be Affirming
There is no wrong or bad time to affirm, and no set time when you have to affirm. Do what you want, what makes you feel good, what works for you, and what feels natural or comfortable for you. With that being said, here are some recommended times to say your affirmations:
🌟First thing in the morning or right before falling asleep – This is because your brain is in a State Akin to Sleep (SATS) and your subconscious is most receptive around this time. You can also enter SATS during the day while doing simple, redundant tasks.
🌟Throughout the day, when triggered or spiraling – Instead of allowing yourself to wallow in negative thoughts, doubts, and fears, alchemize those spiraling thoughts into something beneficial to you by repeating your positive affirmations. Pour the energy and emotions those negative thoughts are giving you into your own cup by repeating your positive affirmations—Then later you can drink from the overflow.
🌟While walking, cleaning, or doing repetitive tasks – Instead of letting your thoughts go in whatever direction the wind blows them, be intentional. Say your affirmations whenever possible, especially during simple tasks. This is a great way to saturate your mind with your new thoughts, especially if you’re someone who enjoys robotic affirming.
🌟Any time you need a mindset reset – Whether you’re having a rough day, not feeling your best, or just want a more positive outlook, don’t hesitate to say your affirmations. You could even have a rampage, which, as we know, is quite a powerful way to snap back when your thoughts take a negative turn.
Quick Note:
If you’re new to affirmations or manifestation, you may be scratching your head and wondering what certain terms actually mean. No worries! Here are some additional blog posts you might find helpful:
🌟Common Manifestation Terms You Should Know When Manifesting Your Desires
🌟What Is A Rampage? Manifest Using This Powerful Manifestation Technique
🌟What is Saturating in Manifestation? How to Use Saturation to Manifest
🌟Affirming, Rampaging, & Saturating In Manifestation — The Difference Between Them
🌟Looking for Manifestation Methods? Here are 30 Excellent Techniques
Now, let’s continue!
How Many Affirmations Should You Be Using?
There is no specific number of affirmations you should be using. It’s all according to your preference.
You can choose to use:
🌟1–3 core affirmations for affirmation looping or robotic affirming
🌟10–20 affirmations (or even more!) during rampages or saturation sessions
🌟Find a balance that feels natural and repeatable for you
How to Create Your Own Affirmations
Say the words that feel natural to you.
You can start with your desire and rephrase it as a truth. For example:
🌟Want confidence? Affirm: “I feel so confident these days.” or “I’m naturally confident.”
🌟Want money? Affirm: “Money keeps finding me lately.” or “I am financially free.”
🌟Want SP? Affirm: “My SP is so in love with me.” or “My SP wants me so bad.”
Just make sure your affirmations align with the things you want and the identity you’re shifting into.
Affirmation Examples
One of the most common desires most people have is to be rich, wealthy, or at least financially comfortable. Here are some example affirmations with this desire in mind, to give you an idea of what your affirmations can look like:
🌟I’m rich
🌟I’m wealthy
🌟I’m financially comfortable
🌟Money is obsessed with me
🌟Money loves me
🌟Money always finds me in safe and positive ways
🌟Why do I keep receiving unexpected cash?
🌟I love looking at my bank account
🌟Every time I spend, it comes back to me multiplied by ten
🌟I know I can afford whatever I want now
🌟Can Jeff Bezos afford to be in the same room as me?
🌟I’m buying that sports car I’ve always wanted
🌟I’m going on my dream vacation
🌟I could literally retire right now if I wanted to
🌟I make too much money to even care about this upcoming bill
🌟My wallet is fat
🌟I can’t believe I’m rich enough to not care about egg prices
🌟Oh, this thing costs $5000? That’s pretty cheap to me
🌟I should start researching investment properties now
🌟Oh my God, what am I even supposed to do with all this money?
🌟How come every time I spend money, I end up with more? Literally, what is going on?
These affirmations are all pretty diverse, but they all communicate the same thing: You’re wealthy.
Notice how none of them need to be a certain length, contain a certain word, or be written in any specific way? Yeah. Your affirmations just need to feel natural to you.
With that being said, keep reading to discover different affirmation methods, types, techniques, and boosters!
Affirmation Methods
There are dozens of ways to use affirmations! The affirmation method really doesn’t matter, and as always, you can do whatever feels best for you. Here are some examples of how you can choose to affirm:
Robotic Affirming
Robotic affirming is when you repeat a single affirmation over and over with little to no emotion. You don’t have to feel anything—you’re just repeating the affirmation constantly to saturate your mind with it. Robotic affirming can be done all day and all night long. You usually want to pick a short and easy affirmation to robotic affirm, so you can repeat it without even having to think about it.
You can robotic affirm while doing anything, whether that’s sitting in the dark and staring at a blank wall or while doing chores, exercising, watching familiar shows or movies, listening to music, or doing anything else.
Eventually, you’ll notice yourself repeating your affirmations without even thinking about it or meaning to!
The purpose of robotic affirming is to help you familiarize yourself with your affirmation quickly, allowing it to sink into your subconscious even faster, and making your affirmation feel more natural to you sooner than it would if you only repeated it once or twice a day.
It’s also a great way to control your thoughts. Instead of spiraling into or battling with negative thoughts—and instead of allowing your mind to roam freely, which often leads to you thinking negatively without even realizing it—robotic affirming allows you to stay in control of what your mind is focused on.
Many people experience quicker results with manifestation when robotic affirming—but this is because they assumed they would or assumed that the constant repetition would help them manifest faster. So, if you want to robotic affirm to get fast results, assume that robotic affirming will give you quick results.
Focused affirming
Focused affirming is a bit similar to saturation. Focused affirmation sessions usually last between 10 and 20 minutes, though they can last for longer or shorter periods of time. Focused affirming is when you say your affirmations slowly, with intention, and oftentimes, with emotional focus.
Robotic affirming is something you can do while performing other tasks. It’s as if the affirmations are on repeat in the back of your mind while you do other things. With focused affirming, it’s the opposite. You sit and focus on your affirmations, giving them your full attention and allowing the words to really register with you.
When you focus affirm, you take the time to really digest what you’re saying and understand why you’re saying it. You can remind yourself that these words are not just words, but they are facts that are true for you now.
Typically, when focus affirming, you’ll focus on a single affirmation, but you can also focus on two or three.
Saturating
In the Law of Assumption, saturating means to thoroughly soak in the state of the wish fulfilled, AKA in the end, AKA in your desired reality. It essentially means living as the version of you who has your desire(s) as much as possible, by thinking from their perspective, acting as they would, doing the things they’d do—overall, just being them.
The goal is to do these things constantly, 24/7, 100% of the time if you can. You want to always be the person who already has it and knows that it’s already done because when you truly are that person, the things you desire can’t help but manifest.
But as we all know, sometimes, it doesn’t feel possible to be that person—especially when we feel so far away from them. Typically, we’re in and out of the state of the wish fulfilled constantly. However, the reason things still manifest for us is because we choose to return to that state over and over again—no matter how many times we slip out of it or what unfavorable circumstances the 3D may show us, we still continue to return to our end. We continue choosing to be the version of ourselves who have our desires until those desires have no choice but to conform. This is how we manifest.
But what exactly does saturation entail? How do you do it, and how is it related to affirmations?
Saturation can look different depending on how you choose to do it. Your saturation session can include things like scripting, visualizing, working through prompts, affirming, or doing all of the above.
One way to saturate is by setting time aside to say your affirmation(s). Saturation sessions can be as long or as short as you’d like them to be. They can be ten minutes long or ten hours long—it’s all up to you. During your saturation session, you can watch mind movies, listen to subliminals, or turn on your favorite meditation music while affirming.
While saturating, you can focus on one affirmation or several. You can even have a rampage!
Still wanna know more about saturation and what it entails?
Read What is Saturating in Manifestation? How to Use Saturation to Manifest
Rampaging
A rampage is a powerful manifestation method that entails flooding your mind with positive affirmations. During a rampage, you’ll say several affirmations that all revolve around the same topic or desire. For example, you may have a self-concept rampage or a money rampage.
A rampage can last as long as you’d like, whether that’s for ten minutes or ten hours. Most commonly, they last between ten and thirty minutes.
In the Law of Attraction, people like to have rampages because they believe it raises their vibration and allows them to get to a higher frequency, thus making it easier for them to align with their desire and manifest it.
In the Law of Assumption, vibrations and frequencies don’t really matter, as they aren’t the things that manifest—your assumptions are. But rampages, of course, are still a beloved method in the LOASS community because they can make you feel good, lead to a better self-concept, and get you into the state of the wish fulfilled fast.
They help you build momentum, get you hype, and finally make the fact that you are already the person who has your desires click.
Still wanna know more about rampages?
Read What Is A Rampage? Manifest Using This Powerful Manifestation Technique
Affirmation Looping
Affirmation looping is similar to robotic affirming, but instead of focusing on one affirmation, you focus on two or three. You loop the affirmations in your mind for an extended period of time, or until they feel natural.
You can choose to take ten to twenty minutes to focus on looping your affirmations (just as you would with focused affirming) or repeat them on loop throughout the day.
Affirmation Tapes
Affirmation tapes are pre-recorded audios that you can listen to passively. If you don’t feel like repeating your affirmations aloud or in your head, you can always just listen to them instead.
You can record your affirmations in your own voice—which is best because, of course, your voice is familiar to you, and hearing yourself saying your affirmations can make them soak in much faster—or listen to affirmation tapes recorded by other people.
Tip: Listen to the ones that have “I” affirmations instead of “you” affirmations. These feel more personal, pack an even bigger punch, and can soak into your subconscious faster.
You can play these affirmation tapes in the background throughout the day or listen to them at night, while you sleep. Speaking of which…
Subliminals
Subliminals are audio files with affirmations layered beneath frequencies, sounds like rain or white noise, or music.
These are essentially affirmation tapes where you can’t actually hear the affirmations—with your ears, at least. But your subconscious can hear them perfectly fine, and many people think sublimnals are actually better than affirmation tapes because since your conscious can’t hear the affirmations, it can’t argue with and doubt them. Meanwhile, your subconscious can more easily soak them all in!
Affirmation Techniques
Now that we know of some affirmation methods, let’s cover a few affirmation techniques. These are just examples to give you ideas for how you can choose to affirm. You, of course, don’t have to just stick with one or the other—do what feels right when it feels right, and as always, do what resonates with you.
Mirror Affirming
Mirror affirming, more commonly known as mirror work, is when you affirm while looking at yourself in the mirror to reinforce identity. Mirror work is a self-reflective practice that can be a super powerful technique.
Many people like to do this while cultivating self-love, working on self-concept, or manifesting their desired appearance—but it’s good to do at any time, with any desire.
Whisper Affirming
With whisper affirming, you can whisper affirmations to yourself for a more intimate, gentle approach, or mentally whisper affirmations to others. This is a method commonly used for manifesting SPs or other people.
For example, if you want your SP to compliment you, you might close your eyes and envision yourself walking up to them and whispering in their ear, “Tell me I look nice today.” You could also picture them whispering the affirmation back to you: “You look nice today.”
It’s a fun way to make your affirmations more visual. Speaking of which…
Visual Affirming
Visual affirming just entails pairing affirmations with mental imagery or visualizations. You might affirm, “I’m so proud of myself” while imagining yourself accomplishing a long-time goal.
Speaking affirmations while visualizing the scene they match is basically you visualizing and affirming at the same time.
Physical Anchor Affirming
Physical anchor affirming is when you say affirmations while doing a repeated physical action (e.g., tapping, breathing, walking).
You’re essentially tying affirmations to a physical motion. For example:
🌟Affirming while tapping (EFT tapping)
🌟Pressing your hand to your chest as you say, “It’s safe now.”
🌟Taking a deep breath in while stating, “I get to have everything I want,” and breathing out while affirming, “It’s already mine.”
This is great to do when you want to feel grounded or need to regulate yourself.
Conversational affirmations
Otherwise known as having inner conversations, conversational affirmations allow you to have an internal conversation with someone—whether it’s yourself, a friend, a family member, or a podcaster whose podcast you’re on mentally!
Some examples of this include:
🌟Your SP telling you all the things you want to hear from them and repeating your affirmations back to you.
🌟Simply having a random conversation with your SP and knowing that this is a normal occurrence now because you have them, and therefore, you guys get to have conversations all the time.
🌟Having an internal conversation with your boss and hearing them tell you you’re getting the raise you’ve been wanting.
🌟Talking to your best friend (in great detail) about how in love you are with your life these days and talking about everything you desire as if it’s already yours in the present moment (it is!)
🌟Talking to yourself about how proud you are of yourself for accomplishing all of your goals and living your dream life.
Want a wedding? Have an inner conversation with your wedding planner, tell them every detail about how your wedding should be, and express your gratitude for the fact that you’re getting married to the love of your life.
Want a new car? Have an inner conversation with the guy at the car dealership about how happy you are that you can now afford it. Hear him telling you, “Congratulations on your new car!” and then tell your family and friends about how you just got your dream car.
Many of us talk to ourselves anyway—it’s just that the inner conversations are usually negative. Instead of ranting to yourself about the circumstances you don’t like, arguing with people in your head, or hearing worst-case scenarios, use inner conversations to your advantage.
Tip: Did you know the MQTManifest Shop has Law of Assumption tools created to help you transform into your dream self and immerse yourself in your desired reality? If you want interactive prompts, you can find them here:
🌟Affirmation Card Decks – Include 55 Law of Assumption affirmation cards and 55 interactive prompts to help you immerse yourself in your desired reality
🌟Reality Reinvention Premium Manifestation Workbooks – Can be used alongside the Affirmation Card Decks for a more structured prompt pathway + identity shifting assistance that will help you make a complete transformation into the version of yourself who already has it all! If you need help with regulation, responding instead of reacting to triggers, and understanding what it means to persist and how to do it, these are the workbooks for you.
🌟The Big Book of Rampages – A Law of Assumption tool designed to help you saturate your mind, stabilize in your assumptions, and think from the perspective of the version of you who already has it all. Its purpose is to make having rampages feel simple, easy, and much less intimidating.
🌟The ‘I Am My Dream Self’ Manifestation Affirmation Word Search Puzzle Book – Another tool designed to help you saturate your mind with positive affirmations during saturation sessions or as part of your manifestation routine.
🌟The Big Book of Gratitude – A LOASS tool intended to make expressing gratitude feel easy! Perfect for people who want to start practicing gratitude, but don’t know how or where to start, and for Law of Assumption followers who don’t ‘vibe’ with Law of Attraction speech & ideals, and want gratitude products that aren’t soaked in LOA lingo.
🌟Manifestation All-In-One Bingo Sets – A great tool for those looking for scripting, visualization, and inner conversation prompts, as well as a fun manifestation game to play solo or with friends. Use these to help you determine what experiences you’d like to manifest if you don’t already know, or challenge yourself to manifest several desires in a row. A great tool for beginners who want to build their confidence, or master manifesters who enjoy manifestation challenges!
Gratitude And Scripting Affirmations
You can write your affirmations into your journal or scripting pages! You can also express gratitude using affirmations. These two techniques can be combined to create a powerful manifestation method that allows you to think from the version of you who has your desire.
For example:
Living in an apartment and wanting to manifest your dream home? Your affirmations can be, “I’m so grateful for my dream home,” “I woke up today in my dream home, thank God,” and “I’m so thankful I have my dream home now!”
Placebo Affirmations
Most of us have heard about how well the placebo effect works, and if you haven’t, you should definitely read up on it!
Placebo affirmations are super effective. To use them, you can pair affirmations with an object (like tea, lotion, perfume) and assign a meaning to it (e.g., “This perfume makes me rich. Every time I spray it, I receive money!”)
If your goal is to affirm more, this can help, as you’ll repeat the affirmation every time you spray the perfume.
Now we know about some popular affirmations and techniques. Keep reading to learn more about affirmation types! But first…
What Are the Key Differences Between Affirmation Methods and Techniques?
We’ve just covered a lot, so let’s summarize the key differences between the methods and techniques we just learned about!
🌟Method = the structure (e.g., looping, focused affirming, etc.)
🌟Technique = the delivery style (e.g., physical anchor affirming, whisper affirming, etc.)
The differences between the methods:
🌟Robot Affirming: Repeating one affirmation throughout the day without feeling or focusing on it.
🌟Focused Affirming: Paying attention to and digesting the affirmation(s) you’re saying.
🌟Saturating: Soaking in your affirmations, focusing completely on your desires and the fact that you have them.
🌟Rampaging: Saying a wide variety of affirmations, usually all on the same topic or desire.
🌟Affirmation Looping: Looping 2 – 3 affirmations.
🌟Affirmation Tapes: Pre-recorded affirmations you can listen to if you don’t feel like saying them yourself. Your conscious mind can pick up on these because you can hear them.
🌟Subliminals: Affirmations that you can’t hear; Sounds like white noise, frequencies, music, etc. Only your subconscious mind can pick up on these.
The differences between the techniques:
These are self-explanatory and should be used according to what feels best and most natural to you.
What Affirmation Method Or Technique Is Best For You?
With so many different kinds of methods and techniques, you may be feeling overwhelmed or confused. If you’re wondering which affirmation methods or techniques are best for you, the answer is simple (and predictable, if you’ve read everything up to this point): It’s whichever one(s) best suit you.
If you like repeating one affirmation for long periods of time without focusing on it, robotic affirming is probably the method for you. If you don’t like the thought of repeating a single affirmation and would prefer to hype yourself up with several that flow like a natural conversation, rampaging is probably the method for you.
If the thought of envisioning whispering an affirmation in someone’s ear makes you cringe, whisper affirming is probably not for you. If you like the idea of having internal conversations with people, conversational affirmations (AKA inner conversations) are probably best for you.
If you’re not sure how you feel about a method or technique, try it out. If you find that you don’t like it after giving it a fair chance, ditch it and move on to the next method or technique. If none of the methods or techniques on this list seem to suit you, don’t feel discouraged. There are tons more that we didn’t cover! Do your research and keep exploring until you find one that works for you.
But seriously, which one is the best one? Which one is the method or technique that you should use, especially if you’re trying to manifest something that you want really badly?
The one that you like the most, the one that works best for you, the one that feels natural to you, the one that suits you and is fun for you, the one that you assume works for you.
It seriously doesn’t matter. Do what works for you and don’t piss me off!
Now, let’s move on to discussing the affirmation types!
Affirmation Types
Affirmations can be categorized by tone, format, or purpose! Here are some of the most common affirmation types:
Tense-Based Affirmations
🌟Present: “I am confident,” or “I have $1000.”
🌟Past: “I’ve always been confident,” or “I got $1000.”
🌟Future: “I will be confident,” or “I’m getting $1000.”
As we discussed above, use future tense affirmations with caution; they can reinforce the fact that you don’t already have it now, which is not what you want when you’re supposed to be being the person who already has it. But that’s just my (and most people’s) assumption, and you shouldn’t let other people’s assumptions dictate what you do or don’t assume. If you want to use future tense affirmations and assume you manifest quickly while using them, then use them!
Askfirmations
Affirmations phrased as questions:
🌟“Why am I feeling so confident nowadays?”
🌟“How do these random deposits keep finding my bank account?”
🌟“What if everything works out for me?”
These are great to use if you have an argumentative mind. If saying affirmations like, “I’m rich,” feels unnatural and leads to you immediately thinking “No, I’m not,” you can try using askfirmations instead. Your conscious mind will not argue with you as much.
Self-concept Affirmations
Google’s definition of self-concept is, “An idea of the self constructed from the beliefs one holds about oneself and the responses of others.”
Self-concept is essentially the image you have of yourself, and you can have many different self-concepts in different areas of your life. Your self-concept surrounding luck could be that you have horrible luck. Your self-concept surrounding your cooking capabilities could be that you’re an amazing cook. Your self-concept surrounding your appearance could be that you’re gorgeous, and your self-concept surrounding your relationships could be that you always have short-lived, toxic relationships.
Self-concept affirmations are statements that center the self and define who you are. They are the “I am…” “I have…” “I do…” and so on, affirmations.
Examples:
🌟“I am chosen, loved, and prioritized.”
🌟“I am an amazing cook.”
🌟“I always have healthy, long-term relationships.”
🌟“I am a big deal — I’m so successful.”
🌟“I am gorgeous.”
🌟“I have the best luck.”
Umbrella Affirmations (AKA Mantra Affirmations)
Umbrella affirmations are broad affirmations that apply to multiple areas. They don’t center any one desire, but instead, encapsulate them all. These make great affirmations to repeat as mantras, robotic affirm, or refer back to on rough days when you feel like spiraling but don’t want to let your negative thoughts take over.
Examples:
🌟”Everything is always working out for me.”
🌟“I always get to have what I want.”
🌟“Isn’t it wonderful?”
🌟“My life has done a complete 180 in the best way possible!”
🌟“It’s already done; I already have it.”
Desire-based affirmations (AKA Goal Affirmations)
Desire-based affirmations are specific to your goals and desires. They revolve around the things you want. For example:
🌟“I feel so confident.” — What do you want? Confidence.
🌟”I am financially free.” — What do you want? Financial freedom.
🌟”I’m in a happy relationship.” — What do you want? A happy relationship.
🌟“I got the concert ticket!” — What do you want? A concert ticket (Probably to see an artist you love).
🌟“I just booked the flight!” — What do you want? A flight (Probably to a dream vacation destination).
Complaint-based Affirmations
Many of us spend a significant portion of time complaining about the people, circumstances, and things we have that we don’t like—such as bills, for example—and look how effective that manifestation method is. Haven’t you ever noticed that the more you complain about something, the more it tends to come up?
Yeah, keep that in mind and start complaining the right way.
🌟“What in the world? Why is my boss giving me another raise? Didn’t she just give me one a few weeks ago?”
🌟“I swear to God, if I see another dollar bill I’m going to scream. This is crazy. This is the tenth time this week that I’ve found money on the ground.”
🌟“This sucks; I literally don’t know what to do. I can’t decide where to take my next vacation. What should I do?”
🌟“Why is my SP blowing up my phone? Do they realize I have a life outside of them? I used to pray for times like this but holy crap…This is crazy!”
🌟“How come as soon as I get one job offer I end up with ten more? How am I supposed to decide which one to take? They all pay six figures a year, too…”
🌟“I got approved for six apartments; Now what am I going to do? How am I gonna decide which one I want to move into? Why do things like this always happen to me?”
This is a fun method. 10/10 recommend!
Emotional Affirmations
These affirmations focus on your emotions and how you want to feel.
Examples:
🌟”I feel safe.”
🌟”I feel so free.”
🌟”I feel at peace.
Great for when you want to feel grounded.
Declarative Affirmations
When you use declarative affirmations, you’re stating something firmly as fact.
🌟“I already got the job, and I know that.”
🌟“I got approved for the loan and that’s a fact.”
🌟“I already know I got the apartment I wanted.”
Gratitude Affirmations
These combine gratitude with affirming. Express your appreciation for the things you’re assuming you have.
🌟“I’m so grateful I already have what I want.”
🌟“Thank you to myself for creating such an amazing life.”
🌟“Thank God I have my SP now.”
🌟“I’m so thankful for the best friend I know I’ve manifested.”
🌟“I appreciate the fact that it’s already done.”
Perspective Affirmations
With perspective affirmations, you affirm from the state of your desired perspective.
You may want to affirm from SP’s perspective:
🌟“I’m in love with ‘Y/N.”
From your boss’s perspective:
🌟“You know what? I think Y/N deserves a big raise!”
Or, most commonly, from the perspective of the version of you who already has their desire.
🌟“Wow. I have everything I’ve ever wanted and more! I have more money than I know what to do with, my dream home, my SP—my life is perfect!”
“You Are” Affirmations
Most people prefer first-person perspective affirmations and deem them to be more effective, but you can use second-person, “You Are,” affirmations, too. With these, you can imagine someone else saying affirmations to you. For example:
🌟”You’re magnetic. Everyone loves being around you.”
🌟“You’re so talented!”
🌟“You are so loved.”
What Affirmation Type Is Best For You?
Would anyone like to take a guess at what I’m going to say?
…
Yes, that’s right. The best kind of affirmation type is the one that feels best and most natural to you.
Now, let’s take a moment to discuss affirmation boosters!
Affirmation Boosters
Did you know some words and phrases can give your affirmations a bit of a boost? Well, now you do! You may be wondering what an affirmation booster is, and the answer is simple: Affirmation boosters are just words or phrases that can make your affirmations feel even more effective. Think of them as a little extra sprinkles on top of the cupcake—unless you don’t like sprinkles or cupcakes, in which case, I’d say come up with your own metaphor because I’ve written this entire article in one sitting, my fingers hurt, and I’m not going to take the time to think up another one. <3
Here are a few examples of affirmation boosters:
🌟”I know.” — Great for conviction — “I know I have $5000 coming to me.”
🌟”That’s a fact.” — Great for conviction — “I already have the job I applied for, and that’s just a fact.”
🌟“I know for a fact” — Great for conviction — “I know for a fact I get to have whatever I want because I deserve it.”
🌟“From now on” — Great for conviction — “From now on, I’m only giving energy to the things I actually want.”
🌟”Of course” — Great for normalizing already having your desires — “Of course I have my SP. Who else would they be with?”
🌟”It’s normal for me to…” — Great for normalizing already having your desires — “It’s normal for me to check my account and see a couple thousand in there.”
🌟”Obviously” — Great for normalizing already having your desires — “Obviously, I’m going to hang out with my platonic soulmate soon. I’m so happy I’ve found my new best friend!”
🌟“Already” — Great for normalizing already having your desires — “I already have a ticket to that concert, and I know that, so I might as well start picking out my outfit.”
🌟“Literally” — Great for emphasizing — “I literally always manifest everything I want so easily.”
🌟“I get insert desire every time I insert easy action** — Great for placebo affirmations — “I get a dollar every time I take a sip of water.”
🌟“Because I said so” — Great for stopping the doubts and the “why” and “how” questions your conscious mind likes to come up with before they can even start — “I’m living my dream life because I said so.”
Final Thoughts
Whew. We covered a lot today.
I hope this article has helped give you a better understanding of affirmations and how to use them. If there’s anything you take away from it, I hope it’s that affirming isn’t about repeating words with perfect technique—it’s about assuming the identity of the version of you who already has it. Make it fun. Make it natural. Don’t overthink it.
Choose affirmations that feel empowering, repeat them in a way that works for you, and stick with them. The more you affirm from a place of being rather than chasing, the faster your outer reality will catch up.
Thanks for reading, and let me know how you feel about this article down in the comments!
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FAQ
Is there a wrong way to affirm?
Only if you’re saying negative affirmations (”I never get what I want!” “My life sucks.” “Nothing is going to work out for me,”) reinforcing lack, or overcomplicating the process. Aside from that, no, there’s no wrong way to affirm. Do what feels best and most natural to you.
What affirmations should I avoid?
Avoid affirmations that focus on lack, feel forced, or are phrased negatively. Example: “I’m not broke anymore” reinforces the idea of being broke. Just affirm, “I’m rich now!”
What are the perfect affirmations to manifest my desires?
There is no “perfect” affirmation. The best ones feel good to say, match the version of you who has it, and are easy to repeat. The “best” affirmations to use to manifest your desires are the ones that you assume will help you manifest your desires.
Do I have to say my affirmations out loud?
Nope! Most people tend to affirm in their heads. Of course, speaking your affirmations aloud is powerful and encouraged, too.
What if Nothing is Showing Up Yet, Even Though I’ve Been Affirming for a Long Time?
If you’re asking this question, I can tell you exactly why it isn’t showing up: You’re not being the person who already has it. The version of you who already has it isn’t asking where it is. That person is busy enjoying it, living with it, knowing that it’s theirs.
Do you go to a drive-in, order food, pay for it, pull up to the window, and then start crying, second-guessing whether or not you’ll actually receive it, frantically looking around, and asking where the food is when you don’t see it within two seconds?
I really hope not.
You know you have the food, and you’re confident in the fact that you have the food because you literally just know that you have it. And you knew you had it the second you placed your order and paid for it, so you weren’t crying and looking around for it before it was handed to you.
Instead, you were chilling in the car, listening to music, scrolling through your phone, or talking to your family and friends while your food was being prepared. You could probably already taste it, and I’m sure you were already planning what to watch while you ate it, or even what to do after you did.
Stop frantically looking around, trying to figure out where your desire is, “if” you’re going to get it, and when. Understand that you already have it, enjoy living as the person who already has it, and have fun planning what you’re going to do now that you have it.
Other Articles You May Like
🌟How to Manifest Successfully? Be The Person Who Already Has It
🌟What is Saturating in Manifestation? How to Use Saturation to Manifest
🌟Manifestation 101: Thinking as VS Thinking From – There’s A Difference
🌟Can’t Visualize When Manifesting? Here’s How To Visualize
🌟How to Manifest By Using Inner Conversations
Products You May Like
🌟Dream Life Manifestation Affirmation Card Deck
🌟Reality Reinvention – Premium Manifestation Workbook: Dream Self Edition
🌟YOU Are The SP: Manifest From SP’s Perspective – An Immersive SP Manifestation Activity Book