50+ Morning Affirmations To Set The Tone For Your Entire Day

Affirmations are a powerful tool that can be used by people of any age (kids included!). When repeated in the morning, affirmations can help get the day started on the right foot and prepare you to take action in pursuit of your goals. Here, we break down how affirmations work, plus over 50 to try in the morning to get positivity flowing right off the bat.

According to psychiatrist and author of Fulfilled Anna Yusim, M.D., affirmations involve repeating a self-selected phrase or series of phrases "that embody who we would like to become." (For example, I am content.)

The idea is that positive thinking creates self-improvement, she adds, and repeating your affirmations throughout the day can transform our thought patterns and mental attitudes. "Together, with honest self-reflection and concrete action steps," she says, "positive affirmations can be a wonderful part of one's behavioral change regimen."

Research has shown positive affirmations help people cope with difficult emotions1 and even suicidal thoughts, Yusim notes. It is worth noting, however, that affirmations need to be paired with action.

"[Affirmations] work primarily at the conscious level, whereas many of our conflicts about ourselves and our sense of adequacy are within our subconscious or unconscious mind," Yusim notes. "They work even better when accompanied by some honest internal reflection and some deeper internal work that gets to the subconscious or unconscious level," she says, adding that it's also important to take concrete steps to create the changes you're affirming.

And of course, affirmations aren't a cure-all. Be careful not to spiritually bypass your own problems, or the problems of others, by suggesting an affirmation a day can make anyone's problems go away.

To make those affirmations even more powerful, Yusim suggests bringing as much heart and emotion into them as possible: "Say it out loud, like you really meant it, and put as much emotion and conviction as you can into it."

On top of that, try visualizing or feeling whatever you're affirming as you say it—what does it sound like? Look like? Feel like? "These simple practices change the affirmation from a cognitive exercise to one that also incorporates your heart and body," Yusim explains. 

You can then begin to feel and embody the affirmation, going beyond thought and beginning to shift some of those unconscious, deeply held beliefs.

Saying affirmations is a great way to begin reframing your mental patterns, shifting into positive thinking, and slowly but surely changing your outlook. Choose a few to repeat in the mornings to start every day on a brighter note.