Mindfulness is an important part of a person’s overall sense of wellness. Nightly affirmations are one way to incorporate mindfulness into your life. When we do not take the time to be mindful and cultivate a feeling of positivity within ourselves, we tend to let stress lead to negative thoughts. Those negative and stressful thoughts can lead to interrupted sleep and insomnia. Positive affirmations can help shift the mind towards happiness, creating long-lasting positive effects. People use positive affirmations to manifest their dreams, so when better to practice those affirmations than at night? Using time every night before bed to take advantage of nightly affirmations can lead to restful, self-improving sleep and positive mental change.
What are Positive Affirmations?
If you are not familiar with positive affirmations, they are positive statements that someone says to themself. Another word for them is mantras. They are generally used to manifest positivity and provide motivation for achieving goals. A good positive affirmation can even help you concentrate (hence, why they are often used to manifest dreams and help people reach their goals). They can help manage stress and calm worry or anxiety. The fact is that our words matter – whether we are saying them to someone else or to ourselves.
The way positive affirmations work is that you start by choosing statements that mean something to you or come up with your own. For your positive affirmations to be the most effective, choose “I” statements as much as possible. These are supposed to be statements that help bring positivity to you after all. Stay away from negative statements. Try to keep your statements in the present tense.
One way to come up with some of your own personalized positive affirmations is to start by making a list of what you think of as your negative qualities. Add things that other people may have said to you that you just cannot seem to let go of, whether that is something your family or classmates used to say to or about you growing up, or what a boss told you about your job performance. This may seem counterintuitive since you are trying to come up with statements to make you feel more positive, but the point here is to look for a common theme.
You may look at all the things you have listed and realize they all add up to “I am not good enough,” “I always screw things up,” or “I cannot handle all of this.” Now take that common negative theme statement and flip it into a positive – “I am good enough,” “I am good at [insert all the things here],” or “I can handle this/anything/something specific you want to highlight.” You might stop there or you might take it up a notch from, say, “I am good enough” to “I am remarkable.”
Once you have your statements, repeat them a few times to yourself and see how they make you feel. Do you feel a little tingle when you say them to yourself? Do they make you happy? You can have as many affirmations as you want and you can change them out at any time. After a while, you may not need to tell yourself you are good enough anymore and you can pick a new affirmation to take its place.
READ MORE: How Breathing Exercises for Anxiety Can Help You (and Your Kids) Destress
Why Nightly Affirmations?
Nightly affirmations are an effective way of using positive affirmations for mindfulness and to help give you a more positive outlook. Incorporating affirmations into your nightly routine is a good idea for anyone because they can help calm your mind and get you ready for sleep. They are especially helpful for someone who tends to get in bed at night and lie awake rehashing every detail of the day or worrying about things that have not happened yet.
Nightly affirmations can be a mix of positive statements like those discussed above and affirmations focused on restful, relaxed sleep. The point is to calm your mind and fill it with positive thoughts to both manifest happiness and an overall sense of calm and wellness. Saying nightly affirmations before going to sleep is more effective than any other time of day because you fill your mind with these positive thoughts and they stay in your subconscious mind while you are asleep.
Make your positive affirmations part of a new nightly routine. Drink some calming tea. Take a few deep inhales and exhales. Say your positive nightly affirmations to yourself right before you go to bed. You can find a calming place in your house, prop yourself up on the pillows or lie down and get comfy under the covers. Consider adding in an essential oil diffuser, candle, or some incense. Over time, you will start to associate that smell with those positive nightly affirmations, so smelling that scent alone will trigger the same parts of the brain that get activated when you repeat your affirmations.
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Give yourself enough time to get through your new routine. Avoid adding nightly affirmations to your existing routine without taking into account the amount of time it is adding to when you actually get into bed, turn off the light, and close your eyes for sleep. The point is not to go to bed later, it is to help you get restful sleep! So be sure to start your routine five to 15 minutes earlier than usual (depending on how long it takes you to get through your new nightly affirmations routine).
There is no timetable for when you will feel a difference in your mindset once you start incorporating nightly affirmations into your routine. But it is likely that after just a few nights of repeating your positive nightly affirmation statements you will start feeling lighter and more positive. Nightly affirmations will not only lead to more restful sleep, but they will also lead to self-improving sleep. You will likely start to notice a shift in your dreams as well. Hopefully, the days of worrisome, fitful dreams and nights of insomnia will be long gone.
20 Nightly Affirmations to Consider
If you are still not sure where to start or want to add some positive nightly affirmation statements to the list you came up with on your own, here are 20 nightly affirmations to consider.
- I did my best today.
- Tomorrow is a new opportunity.
- I believe in myself.
- I am grateful for my body and what it does for me each day.
- I deserve love. I deserve happiness. I deserve rest.
- It is time to let every worry go and met my mind rest.
- My body and I deserve a good night of rest.
- I am thankful for this day and I am looking forward to tomorrow.
- I deserve good dreams.
- My dreams are a place of positivity and hope.
- I can have the life of my dreams.
- My body and mind deserve a good night.
- I choose to stop worrying, stressing, and dwelling on negativity.
- I am happy. I am healthy. I have people who love me. I have everything I need.
- Today is over. Tonight I will rest. Tomorrow is a new day.
- Rest has the power to overcome my fears, my anxiety, and my doubts.
- I am capable of making my dreams happen.
- I am gratefu for all of the love that I have and realize how fortunate I am.
- I am in control of my thoughts and I choose positive ones.
- I am ready for deeep and peaceful sleep.
READ MORE: The Signs of Sleep Deprivation and How to Avoid It
Words matter. They have a huge impact, even when we say them to ourselves. The key is to be kind to yourself. We would never say some of the things we say to ourselves to our children or our best friend. So start being your own hype man (or woman)! Think about what you want and manifest it through your nightly affirmations. The small act of repeating nightly affirmations can make a huge impact on your outlook, your sleep, and your overall well-being.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article on 7 Easy Types of Meditation to Practice, the Power of Meditation, and the Health Benefits.
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References: 5 Steps to Make Affirmations Work for You
