How To Start Your Affirmation Journal? Luke’s FREE 101 Guide

Before we get into how to start an affirmation journal, let’s break our thoughts down, shall we? Did you know that every day 80,000+ thoughts cross your mind. When you are stressed, the number of thoughts increases exponentially. Select what thoughts to carry in your mind, in the same way you decide what clothes to wear.
 
Your mind and body are not different. What you feel in your mind, you experience it in your body. For instance, if you feel stressed, low, or upset, you may feel low on energy, lazy, experience hair fall, and may find the glow on your face fading. On the other hand, if you’re happy and positive, it just spikes up your energy levels and increases your productivity.
 
Out of the 80,000+ thoughts that cross your mind, just a tiny fraction are POSITIVE thoughts where you express thoughts like, “Oh, the day is so beautiful. I’m loving the comfort of working from home. My boss is so genuine,” and so on.
 
A slightly higher number of these thoughts are NEGATIVE, where you often whine about small things like, “Oh! I’m so done with working from home. I hate this traffic on my way to work. My boss does not understand my efforts,” and so on.
 
Some thoughts that cross your mind are NECESSARY. These help you execute your day, preplan your day, schedule tasks one after the other, and allow you to remember to eat, sleep, talk, and so on.
 
The remaining thoughts that take up a huge portion are the UNNECESSARY thoughts, which lead to worry about the future or regrets from the past. All negative emotions like fear, anger, guilt, resentment, and jealousy will lead to these unnecessary thoughts.
 
Let’s illustrate this, if you are angry for not getting that promotion, thoughts start creeping into the mind just like a domino effect like, “I’m not good enough. My boss is biased. The quality of my work isn’t up to the mark,” and so on. Likewise, if certain expectations from people aren’t met, it can make you feel, “This person doesn’t love me anymore. Things between us have changed. The spark has gone now.”
 
In honesty, most of these unnecessary thoughts that arise may not even be true. It takes positive emotions like love, hope, acceptance, and faith to change your unnecessary thoughts. Considering similar examples – you could say – “I’m the next in line to get promoted. I accept the person the way he/she is,” and so on. This shift in thoughts may not come easily. It requires practice, repetition, discipline, and consistency.
 
Stick this one quote on your wardrobe, refrigerator, bathroom wall, or wallpaper: “To make a better tomorrow, make your thoughts good today.” Ensure to remind your subconscious mind to rewire all negative-unnecessary thoughts to positive-necessary thoughts.
 

Affirmations are a superb way to bring about this shift in how you think and perceive things.

Affirmations are those positive thoughts that can have positive effects on the body. Affirmations will help you positively reprogram your thoughts, send healing messages, and build good habits to navigate daily stress.

Some examples of affirmations are:

• I release myself of anger, hate, and bitterness. I am free.
• I am grateful for all the good that surrounds me. I attract goodness.
• I release old habits that limit my potential.
• I let go of all expectations.
• I say goodbye to things in my life that are blocking my growth.

8 Rules of Affirmation Journaling:

• Write your affirmations in the present tense. Assume that what you desire, you’re already receiving. Instead of saying, “My work-life balance will get better in years to come,” start saying, “I’m really happy with the work-life balance I have.”
• Always personalize your affirmations. The use of the first-person point of view “I” is very important to make affirmations 100% personalized to you.
• Use ‘power’ words. You can use powerful words like am, choose, believe, trust, accept, willing, love, and so on to make your affirmations powerful. For example: I am confident. I accept my spouse the way he/she is. I love the way I look. I choose faith over fear. And so on.
• Avoid using negative words. While framing your affirmations, avoid using words like never, don’t, not, and so on. Instead of saying, “I don’t want to be late,” try saying, “I’ll reach on time.” Instead of saying, “I’m happy to not get a headache today,” try saying, “I’m happy to have a pain-free day today.”
• Keep your affirmations short and specific. Just write what you want to affirm without adding a long explanation of why you want to affirm. The Law of the Universe says: Your wish is my command. Whatever you affirm with faith, will be granted irrespective of the reason behind it.
• Practice mindfulness. Write affirmations but not just to tick off your to-do list. When you write down affirmations, you need to do it with faith, belief, and conviction. Believe in the words that you write. Contradicting in your mind will make it harder for you to achieve it. For instance: If you seek XX% hike in your salary and you start affirming it daily, but at the back of your mind you think, “It’s too much to ask for such a high percentage of the hike. No one has ever received it so how am I going to get it,” then you certainly won’t. If you add doubt to your affirmations, the magic of it diminishes. Affirmations must be unconditional.
• Add visualization. It is an add-on master rule you can practice. Renowned comedian Jim Carrey, who lives by this example, once said: “If you see it and believe it, it’s easier for you to receive it.”
• Practice patience as a virtue. This is one of the most underrated golden rules when it comes to affirmations. You need to have loads of patience while changing your thoughts to positive thoughts and also while waiting to see how beautifully your affirmations work. You can’t expect a miracle with just a few days of practice and if you’re practicing for many years, you need to cross-check if you’re contradicting your affirmations in any way.

Here are some sample affirmations based on emotions for your reference in case you get stuck while journaling:

If you are feeling stressed:

• It’s easy for me to feel calm in all the circumstances.
• All my dreams are coming true.
• I trust my intuition and am always guided by my guardian angels.
• I am calm and centered. I release all tension from my body and mind.
• I choose peace over stress and joy over worry.
• With each exhale, I release stress, embracing calm.
• I control my thoughts. I choose peace and tranquility.
• I trust life’s process. I let go of what is out of my control.
• My challenges are my opportunities. I am resilient and capable of conquering them.
• I am surrounded by peace, love, and serenity. I embrace relaxation.
• I am enough, strong enough to handle anything.
• I have a clear mind and a calm heart. My soul is at ease.

If you are feeling anxious:

• I trust I am exactly where I need to be.
• I am the creator of my reality, even in times of uncertainty.
• I am calm, and my mind is at ease.
• I am stronger than my anxious thoughts.
• At this moment, I am safe and secure.
• I release fear; I embrace calm.
• My thoughts do not control me; I control my thoughts.
• If you are feeling sad:
• I break the pattern and choose things to happen my way.
• My failure adds to my personal growth.
• I am blessed and grateful to live the life I have created.
• My sadness is temporary; brighter days are ahead.
• I am resilient, and I will overcome this sadness.
• I choose to find joy in small moments today.
• I am surrounded by love and support.
• I embrace my emotions and allow myself to heal.
• With each breath, I let go of sorrow and invite positivity.

If you are feeling angry:

• I am peaceful and calm.
• I am surrounded by love and compassion, all is well on my end.
• I accept the way he/she is. I let go of the grudge that I have held so far.
• I choose peace over anger in this moment.
• I release anger and invite calm into my being.
• My reactions are within my control; I choose patience.
• I am in charge of my emotions; anger does not control me
• I inhale calm, I exhale anger – I am in control.

If you are worried:

• I release all the fears of the unknown and unexpected
• I choose faith over fear.
• I have the power to manifest abundance in all areas of life.

If you are overwhelmed:

• I know things are unfolding in my best interest.
• I’m just perfect the way I am.
• I have the patience to endure the challenges of life and move on.

If you feel insecure:

• I love myself unconditionally
• I accept all aspects of myself
• I welcome true unconditional love into my life

If you feel happy:

• I use my energy to create more love, harmony, and peace.
• I find love everywhere I go, Life is joyful.
• I have the power to make my dreams come true.

If you are feeling unwell:

• Every cell of my body is functioning in perfect harmony.
• I can heal my body
• My body is always doing its best to heal itself. My body creates perfect health.
• Every day and in every way, I am getting better and better.

If you are feeling pain:

• The aches and pains in the body are fading
• I see my body is healing
• I release all the grief, fear, or anger that I am holding from the past.

If you are feeling guilty:

• I release the burden of the past and set myself free
• I move on with loads of love in my heart.
• I allow myself to move forward in life.
• I forgive myself.
• I acknowledge my mistakes and choose self-forgiveness.
• I release guilt. I embrace the opportunity to learn and grow.
• I am human, and it’s okay to make mistakes. I forgive myself.
• My guilt does not define me. I am capable of positive change.
• I choose to learn from my actions.
• I move forward with a compassionate heart.

 
These are some samples you can refer to. What is beautiful is that you can make your affirmations and personalize them according to the emotions you’re going through or the things you desire. Remember, affirmations won’t work if your actions aren’t in sync with your affirmations.
 
Refer to powerful books such as You Can Heal Yourself and You Can Heal Your Life by Louis Hay. To understand visualizations and the law of attraction more deeply, read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.
 

As you start your journaling:

• Write your affirmations daily.
• Just write it once and read it loudly.
• You can also record these affirmations on your phone recorder app and listen to them often during the day.
• You can write it on your phone or over email draft as well. But pen to paper is often considered a very powerful way of writing affirmations.
• Make sure to add a lot of mindfulness, faith, and belief as you start writing your journal.

All the very best. Let us know how it worked for you.
 
Shop for your journals here.
 
Looking for resources to build a more emotionally resilient YOU? Find Luke’s online courses here.
 
Need personalized guidance? Set up a one-on-one consult with our integrative experts or explore our holistic wellness programs here.
 
Set this up by getting in touch with our wellness consultants by writing to info@lukecoutinho.com or calling 1800 102 0253.