Here’s your step-by-step guide to using affirmations for one month, in which time you will likely experience actual results.

If you know what affirmations are and how to use them, you can skip right through to the one-month challenge.

And if you’ve already started the challenge, you can jump through to the week you are on below. 

Week 1: Self-Love

Week 2: Forgiveness

Week 3: Abundance

Week 4: Gratitude

What Are Affirmations?

Affirmations are phrases, such as, “I AM ENOUGH,” which can be repeated to cause a positive change in one’s mental attitude. We already use affirmations every day but perhaps not in a meaningful way.

The words and feelings we aim towards ourselves go a long way to shaping our self-image. If we regularly put ourselves down and use words such as, “stupid” or “ugly” we begin to believe these ideas and they become part of our belief system. 

Positive affirmations are a powerful tool for reversing those beliefs and creating new, empowering ideas about ourselves.

How They Are Used

An affirmation is a personal statement; they work best when they are said in the first person, containing the words, “I” or “my” for example.

It’s also important that the same affirmation is said repetitively. A month using the same affirmation is a good amount of time to begin seeing results. Do bear in mind that some negative beliefs are deeply ingrained and will take longer to alter – but persistence is key here. 

Although there is no correct time or place to say affirmations, you could try saying them in the morning to get your day off to a positive start, or before bed, which will help you go to sleep with a positive mindset – find out what works for you. 

To experience their fullest effect, you can try saying them whilst looking in the mirror (this is especially effective for self-love affirmations).

How the Challenge Works

The challenge is split into four different weeks and each week has a separate theme to focus on – self-love, forgiveness, abundance and gratitude.

You will say the same affirmation every day for seven days before moving onto the next, this will help you become familiar with using affirmations for various aspects of your life. 

It is also suggested that you come up with your own affirmations, which can be tailored to your circumstances. You can work on these alongside the challenge if you like, or once it has finished. 

The aim of the challenge is to teach you about the concept of using affirmations, which will hopefully encourage you to start using them regularly. 

Week 1: Self-Love

Self-love is a crucial element of caring for ourselves – and is demonstrated through the words we speak, the actions we take and the way we think of ourselves.

If the way you currently feel about yourself is negative and self-critical, this week’s theme of self-love is a great one to start with.

Saying kind words to ourselves on a regular basis helps to reverse deep-rooted negative beliefs.

Repeat this affirmation several times each day for the next seven-days:

“I LOVE MYSELF EXACTLY AS I AM.”

Week 2: Forgiveness

When we hold onto things that happened in the past, we carry an emotional weight that bears heavy on our shoulders. When we forgive ourselves and others for past mistakes, we are released from negative repetitive thoughts and can create a healthy mindset for the future.

Repeating affirmations related to forgiveness leads to peace and acceptance over any negative situations.

Repeat this affirmation several times each day for the next seven-days:

“I FORGIVE EVERYONE FROM THE PAST, INCLUDING MYSELF.”

Week 3: Abundance

Living in abundance means experiencing a plentiful of love, happiness, success and prosperity. Using affirmations, you can attract abundance into your life and you can begin to believe that you are deserving of living a rewarding life.

Repeat this affirmation several times each day for the next seven-days:

“PROSPERITY FLOWS INTO MY LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.”

Week 4: Gratitude

The words ‘thank you’ have the power to enhance your entire life. When we are grateful, we are telling the universe that we appreciate what we already have, which paves the way for more goodness to enter our lives.

Give recognition to, and become more appreciative of, everything in your life with this affirmation.

Repeat this affirmation several times each day for the next seven-days:

“I AM THANKFUL.”

If you feel that affirmations aren’t working for you, find out why you might be missing the key ingredient.

Keep us updated on how you are finding the challenge!