What are Spiritual Affirmations?

Spiritual affirmations are brief phrases or prayers that one might say when feeling sadness, stress, anxiety, or when simply wanting to start or end the day on a positive note. One can say a spiritual affirmation as many times a day as necessary, and many people take great comfort from them. Spiritual affirmations are not necessarily affiliated with any particular religion, though many people use the affirmations as way to pray to God or any higher power they choose to believe in.

There are many different spiritual affirmations that can be found in spiritual books, or simply by searching online. Another option is to just make up one's own affirmation; as it is very personal, there is no way to get it wrong. Though most people use spiritual affirmations as a way of communicating with or relating to a higher power, that is not absolutely necessary either; some use affirmations as a form of self encouragement, or as a way to remind themselves of their own strength.

Spiritual affirmations may be just a brief phrase, or they may be a longer type of prayer or sometimes a short poem. They are intended to be easy to remember and to recall as needed. Some people use the affirmations as a form of meditation, choosing to focus on the affirmation and empty the mind. This can be a way to relieve stress and anxiety, as well as to improve concentration and overall peace of mind.

Some people also use spiritual affirmations as a way to gradually change the way they think. It can be easy to become mired in negative thoughts and habitual thought patterns, and a brief affirmation can help to break that negativity and encourage more positivity in life. This is where brief, one-sentence affirmations can be very helpful, because they are easy to remember and may be repeated as needed throughout the day.

There are different ways to say spiritual affirmations. They may be said out loud, or they may be said silently in one's mind. Some people also find that writing daily affirmations in a journal is helpful as well. It is best to determine what method works best, as each person is different, and the idea of affirmations is to improve one's own life and sense of well being and connectedness. Different affirmations may be used in different situations as well; an affirmation that once worked well may not anymore, so it is best to continuously try to explore and find new ones.