40 affirmations to help you get started on your self-love journey!

Have you ever caught yourself being mean to yourself?

Saying things like

I'm so stupid.

Why am I so unlovable?

I'm always messing up.

I can't do anything right.

I'm a failure.

I'm not cut out for this.

That's called self-deprecation.

And the first thing I want you to tell yourself is that you do not need self-deprecating thoughts.

The magic behind this is that your mind believes what you tell it. So if you keep telling it negative things (just like a computer program) garbage in, garbage out. These negative thoughts will ultimately shape your actions and reality.

This is why you need affirmations. Affirmations are necessary for changing negative beliefs about yourself and reinforcing positive beliefs. The practice of reciting affirmations is one of the best ways to start your self-love journey. It's basically telling your mind what you want it to know and believe about who you are. This is the purpose of affirmations.

It's important though that you note this before we continue. Our beliefs about ourselves are lodged in our subconscious. So for us to change those beliefs, we must do it through the fusion of positive affirmations and experience. Emilie Leyes explains it better on tiktok so be sure to check out how to use affirmations right after you're done reading this.

Before we get to the juice, let me share my experience with you real quick. Before I started my intentional growth journey, I didn't know how to regulate my emotions. I used to wallow in self pity for weeks on end feeling bad about myself. My insecurities and shortcomings took premium seats in my head and kept playing deprecating thoughts on repeat. These thoughts made me lose sight of my worth and value as a person. It was so bad that I once asked myself what my worth was and I could not come up with an answer. The simple answer to this was that I never told myself what my worth was (talk less of reminding myself).

So this February, I decided to explore self-love as a concept. I learnt that if I wanted to love myself wholeheartedly, I needed to change certain beliefs about myself and one of the ways I could do that was by reinforcing positive thoughts. I needed to define my worth to myself, then remind myself constantly of who I want to be and what my thoughts should be.

When I started, the vibe ebbed and flowed. Some days I would feel a surge of confidence saying these affirmations, other times I would say it without believing it or feeling anything. This was before I learnt how to use affirmations the right way.

For affirmations to work, Emilie says to match the experience with the affirmations. This means that you have to say these affirmations in moments where they are true for you. For instance, if you feel calm, repeat to yourself 'I am calm'. If you find yourself happy in the midst of your loved ones, remind yourself of that love by saying 'I am loved'. In that moment, your brain registers that moment/experience with the word calm or love. And helps you to believe it. That way the beliefs you have about yourself start to change because your brain has learnt through experience what it feels like to be calm or loved. Not by just repeating words that has no meaning to it but by connecting a physical experience with an emotional reaction. It honestly blows my mind how the mind, body and soul are connected. Anyways this is big science stuff. I'm no expert so I'll let the experts do the explaining.

Once you get the hang of how to use affirmations right, you quickly realize that it is one of the keys to forming your desired personality. In situations like these, you learn to practice who you want to become. These are the instances where we have control over our destiny. This is because we can choose how we feel and what to feel about the uncontrollable elements life presents us with. It's not always an easy choice but at least it gives us control in a world where the variables are always changing. With this, you can stay constant and aligned with your emotions, thoughts and vision. You can become grounded and can face any adversity with the best mindset. This will improve your self-esteem, self-confidence and ultimately your love for who you are. This is basically the summary of the law of attraction.

Based off this, I have curated 40 affirmations for self love from one of my favorite blogs (healthyhappyimpactful blogsite) so you can repeat them daily and with feeling to promote confidence in yourself, self-worth, and self-esteem.

For better effect, look in the mirror or use your phone camera to remind yourself of your worth and the fact that you do not need self-deprecating thoughts.

With time, you will believe it in your heart, and eventually this will show up in the way you live the rest of your life.

So babe, try to say any of these 40 everyday to be on your way to loving yourself!

1. I am more than enough.

2. My needs matter.

3. Peace and happiness are inside of me.

4. I am kind to myself.

5. I follow my own heart, not the expectations of others.

6. I love the person that I am and the person I am becoming.

7. I am not less for making mistakes. I am more because I learn from them.

8. I am strong, beautiful, and confident.

9. I deserve good things to come to me.

10. I am loved. By others and by myself.

11. I set boundaries and respect them.

12. I stand up for myself.

13. I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to.

14. My feelings deserve to be expressed. I allow them to flow.

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

16. I nourish my body, mind, and soul.

17. I make time to take care of myself.

18. I allow myself to love who I am, not who I think I should be.

19. It's ok to not be ok. I allow myself to feel whatever I need to.

20. Asking for help is a gift I give myself and others.

21. I accept my fears and doubts, and try anyways.

22. I am courageous and brave for trying, even when it’s hard.

23. The only approval I need is my own.

24. I am exactly who I need to be.

25. I am grateful for this body, this mind, this soul.

26. I was born to love, and be loved.

27. My natural state is peace and love.

28. I trust myself.

29. One bad day does not make me a bad person. It makes me human.

30. I respect myself.

31. I do not expect myself to be perfect.

32. I am proud of myself.

33. I deserve all the good that comes to me.

34. I release my feelings of guilt and negativity. They do not serve me.

35. My last thought before bed is an appreciation for what my mind and body have done for me today.

36. I release my limiting beliefs about myself

37. I forgive others, as this serves my inner peace.

38. My outside world is a reflection of my inside world. I nourish both.

39. I express who I am, without hesitation.

40. No one else has the exact strengths that I have.

So there you have it babe. For more affirmations like this, check healthyhappyimpactful.com.

If this is your first time reading my blog page, welcome babe. Thank you for checking my blog out. My name is Afolabi Aderonke Salamat also known as AM SALMA or thatLagoshijabi and I share all I learn on my self-growth journey with you. Each month I explore a self growth concept.

This February I share all I've learnt on the concept of self-love and I hope you find them interesting to read. Check them out and let me know your thoughts.

Your support is very much appreciated so don't forget to share with your friends. We're on our way to building a community of girlies who love and support each other on their growth journey because we're all just humans try to be functional in a dysfunctional society.

Feel free to check out my previous blog posts on:

October - Self-forgiveness

November - Self-awareness

December - Mental Decluttering

January - New Beginnings

February - Self-Love

Suscribe because you don't want to miss March posts where I explore all about self-discovery!