Living with anxiety can be tough. You get restless out of a sudden, and the most trivial disappointment can ruin your day. Fortunately, with the help of positive affirmations for anxiety, you can get immediate relief from those unsettling symptoms.
If you have anxiety or panic disorder, then you probably already know that meditation and breathing techniques help ease anxious feelings. Whether you use them or not, their positive effect is confirmed by numerous studies.
Think about affirmations as one more technique that could help you calm down in challenging moments. They can also prove effective in stressful situations.
I believe everyone would benefit from positive affirmations for anxiety in today’s times of uncertainty and mass hysteria around the pandemic. So why don’t you give them a try?
Do Affirmations Work for Anxiety?
Yes, they do, and studies demonstrate their positive effects on mental well-being. Researchers from Poland found that self-affirmations helped reduce anxiety and depression in chronic psoriasis patients.
Another study investigated the effects of self-affirmations on anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that the participants who had practiced self-affirmations were less anxious about the pandemic situation.
40 Positive Affirmations for Anxiety, Panic, and Stress
- I feel calm and centered
- I feel comfortable and safe
- I release my anxiety and negative feelings
- I let go of my negative thoughts
- Every time I inhale, I breathe in peace and calm
- With every exhale, I breathe out stress and worry
- I let go of anxiety and stress
- I’m in full control of my life
- I’m in charge of my emotions
- I’m in charge of my body and mind
- My breathing is calm and deep
- My heartbeat slows down to its normal pace
- My body is relaxed and comfortable
- My muscles relax
- I’m fully present at this moment
- I focus on my breathing
- I release my fears of tomorrow
- My future is bright and happy
- I accept uncertainty and welcome what the future brings me
- I’m open to change
- I’m ready for what life brings me
- I easily cope with stress
- I choose to fill my mind with positive thoughts
- I choose to focus on positive emotions
- I choose to focus on the beauty around me
- I’m in full control of this situation
- I’m a strong and resilient person
- I’m strong enough to overcome any obstacle
- I’m stronger than my fears
- I accept things that are beyond my control
- I make peace with my past and let go of regrets
- The world is a safe place
- I release tension from my body
- I trust my body
- I trust life and expect the best
- My whole being is filled with calm and peace
- I’m at peace with myself and life
- I detach myself from my anxiety
- I detach myself from my negative thoughts and fears
- With every breath I take, my body relaxes, my heartbeat slows down, and my mind releases worry and stress
15 Positive Affirmations for Social Anxiety
I created this blog for insecure introverts and socially anxious people, so I couldn’t neglect this topic here. Below you will find a few affirmations for social anxiety.
Use them every time you worry about an impending event or feel uneasy in a social setting.
However, if you are getting overwhelmingly nervous like you are at the edge of a panic attack, the above affirmations for anxiety will be more effective.
- I’m in a safe place and the people who surround me love and accept me
- I’m in harmony with the world and other people
- I’m loved and accepted
- I’m an interesting and likable person
- I release my worries and fears
- I’m open to new friendships and opportunities to get to know other people
- My confidence in social situations grows every day
- My social skills improve every day
- I trust other people
- I’m respected and appreciated
- People have good intentions toward me
- People want to make friends with me
- I’m a strong and confident person
- I feel comfortable in social settings
- I attract positive people and emotions into my life
If you have social anxiety, you may also want to check out my list of affirmations for confidence and self-esteem.
How to Use Affirmations for Anxiety and How Do They Work?
As you see, the above affirmations promote feelings of safety, calm, and control. This is what an anxiety sufferer struggles with – they feel like they are not in charge of their own body and ultimately, their life too.
When your heart races, your breathing gets shallow and hard, and your whole body feels twitchy, it seems like something inside you has broken down and you can do nothing to fix it.
It happens because your brain gets ready for a perceived threat and activates the so-called flight-or-fight response. This is why you need to convince your subconscious that you are perfectly safe and in control of the situation.
You could have noticed that most of my affirmations are short and clear. I believe that it’s the most effective way to use them. When you are crippled by anxiety, your mind needs short and precise orders, not some vague, wordy statements.
The above positive affirmations for anxiety are meant for moments of stress and panic. Just repeat them every time you feel overwhelmed and stressed. You could pair them with breathing techniques for maximum effect.
However, if you have a neurotic personality, you could use some of these affirmations in the morning to fill yourself with calm and peace for the new day.