13 Positive Affirmations for When Life Becomes Too Much

The power of positive affirmations isn’t anything new - ancient Sanskrit mantras have been used by yogis for centuries to meditate and achieve transcendence-even modern medicine agrees. Studies show that self-affirmation activates neural reward pathways in the brain (which makes us feel good). Therapists, life coaches, and even business executives turn to this practice with extraordinary results. “Positive affirmations are very powerful because they allow you to take back your personal power,” says marriage and family therapist Katie Ziskind. “Instead of getting bogged down by stress and what you can’t change, focus on the positive with a reassuring complement for yourself.”

What makes mantras great is that there are endless possibilities. There's one for every situation, season of life, and personality type. Here, 13 experts offer the positive affirmations they turn to in their daily lives. Repeat them out loud, in your head, write them down in a journal, or frame them in your office. You can also take these quotes as inspiration to create your own positive affirmation.

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“Today I give myself permission to choose me.”

Sometimes it feels like life is so busy that we can’t stop to take a moment for ourselves. This mantra is a reminder to do that. “Giving ourselves permission to choose ourselves is key to acknowledging that we matter. It gives us permission to return to our own agency by showing us that our well-being is in our hands and that it’s ok to engage in healthy self-love,” explains Clara Rey, healing coach for people living with chronic pain.

“I have used this through my experience with chronic pain and healing, in which I often felt like I had lost agency to medical treatments, family, friends, etc….You can’t give on an empty cup.”

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“All is well and life is unfolding as it should.”

Women’s positivity coach Margaret Adams says that this mantra gives you permission to let go a little, which can bring a sense of peace. “This phrase reminds me that there is universal energy at work, and it's not my job in life to make everything happen,” says Adams.

“Knowing I don’t have to make everything happen and force things to take place allows me to remain calm and centered and gives me the energy to create instead of panic and worry.”

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“I am pure potentiality. My thoughts create my reality.”

We could all use a reminder now and again that we are in the driver’s seat of our own lives, and this mantra serves that purpose. “At the heart of this is the belief that I am a co-creator with the universe and can manifest what I desire through clear intention and focused action,” says success and wellness coach Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy.

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“It is safe to show up and be seen.”

Sharon Podobnik Peterson, founder of a self-care subscription box, says that she switches up her affirmation every two to three months. “As the idea sinks into my subconscious, it becomes my truth and I’m able to move on,” she says. She relied on this mantra regularly when she was starting her business. For her, the affirmation that it was safe to show up and be seen was a daily reminder that “people appreciate you for who you are and what you add to the conversation.”

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“I am calm and at peace.”

Taking a moment to say this mantra can truly bring a sense of calm and peace, says family therapist Katie Ziskind. She utilises this mantra when she’s feeling stressed or rushed. “As a family therapist, my clients can feel my anxiety, so even if I’m late I make sure to use a calming, relaxing affirmation,” she says. If you feel like you don’t have any time to spare, it’s all the more important to pause for just a few seconds to take a breath and repeat this phrase.

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“You can do this.”

It may seem simple, but sometimes the most straightforward affirmations can be the most powerful. Social worker Katie Leikam says, “I live by this affirmation because sometimes I doubt myself and I need to be reminded that I have things under control. I am capable and I have the ability to get what I need done actually done."

Leikam says she repeats this mantra before she walks into a crowd of people and before she makes a difficult decision. "It really reminds me that I am a strong woman and capable of so much more than I thought,” she says.

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“Progress not perfection.”

When we have a big goal in mind it’s easy to get overwhelmed, or feel like we’ve achieved nothing until it’s perfect. But that’s unattainable, and it's a surefire way to set yourself up for failure. Instead, family medicine specialist Dr Tisha Rowe says that changing your mindset to focus on small victories can make a big difference. “I have been a size 2-12,” she says. “I wasn’t my happiest at either end of the spectrum, but I have learned to find joy in every step of the journey by focusing on small incremental steps versus the long haul.”

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“I fight for my beliefs.”

“Sometimes you just need to repeat the truth to yourself to remind yourself what truth is,” says self-help author Becca Anderson. She often turns to this mantra as well as “I have unshakable dedication to my goals” when she needs some extra support.

“Whenever I feel down on myself, or whenever I’m struggling to be who I want to be, I use these affirmations as mantras to refocus my centre. Even if I don’t feel like I have unshakable dedication right this second, for example, repeating the mantra that says I do will guide me towards making my dedication true again.”

“Do the best now.”

Living in a goal-oriented society, it can be difficult to pay attention to the now since we’re often looking ahead. “If you know something is the best possible thing to do, then there is no reason to put it off, says counsellor David Bennett. “It’s easy to put off our best for a future time like, for example, saying ‘I’ll be generous when I get a raise’ or ‘I’ll be happy when the workday is over.’ Instead, I remind myself to do the best now!”

“Breath in calm-exhale stress and tension.”

Focused breath can be a powerful tool, which is what this mantra is all about. “This works for me because I remind myself that by expanding through my breath I allow calm to come into my mind and release the stress,” explains marriage and family therapist Dr Tracie Strucker. “Attaching the affirmation to a physical behaviour helps to anchor it. When I take a deep breath, my unconscious remembers the mantra and releases stress on the exhale.”

“I am capable of handling anything that comes my way.”

Self-doubt can be an intense trigger for stress and anxiety, so it’s important to remind yourself that you are capable. “Growing up, I always felt I was not enough in one way, and too much in another,” says life coach Diana Fletcher. “I remind myself that I love myself and I only hurt myself when I get angry or resentful. I need these reminders all the time so I say them aloud when I’m alone, in my head other times, and even write them over and over sometimes.”

“Thank you universe for repackaging my fear into love.”

Sometimes all it takes is a shift in mindset to transform something as uncomfortable as fear into something beautiful like love (whether it be love for yourself, for the thing you feared, or for others). Life coach and mindfulness advocate Jenay Rose says she uses mantras like this in her healing work “because they give my clients an empowering feeling of taking creative control of their personal healing and everyday life, which is huge when you’re working on building self-esteem or transforming your thought habits.”

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”

This may read more as a pithy saying you might find on a mug than a mantra, but for self-help author BJ Gallagher, this saying has been a constant positive reminder in her life to live every day like it’s your last. “It reminds me to seize the moment-to take the leap when an opportunity presents itself-and to savour simple pleasures like a piece of chocolate, a spontaneous nap, a cup of coffee with a friend who drops by unexpectedly, or to take a break from my work when my dog clearly wants some attention,” she says. “It’s important not to focus obsessively on the future and miss out on joy and pleasure of today.”