How you can use gratitude affirmations to build positive habits, empower yourself and improve your self-esteem. With free printables to help you do this.
What are Gratitude Affirmations?
Affirmations are positive thoughts that are repeated to oneself. They are often done silently but sometimes spoken aloud. Affirmations are used to help people build positive habits, change self-defeating thoughts into self-enhancing thoughts, and improve their self-image or self-esteem.
Gratitude affirmations are a unique type of affirmation that encourages individuals to focus on what they appreciate about themselves and their lives, rather than what they want or feel they lack.
How do Gratitude Affirmations Benefit You?
Gratitude affirmations will help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude that has a lot of benefits:
- Change self-defeating thoughts into self-enhancing thoughts.
- Encourage you to focus on what you appreciate about yourself and your life, rather than what you want or feel you lack.
- Maintain positive mental health.
- Improve relationships with others and increase the chance of having a meaningful connection with another person. It’s all about getting back in touch with what matters most.
- Gratitude increases happiness. The more grateful you are the more you will feel happy.
- Reduces feelings of envy, loneliness, and depression and increases feelings of love, social connection, generosity, empathy, and optimism.
- Reduces stress levels.
- Accelerate the manifestation cycle for you (see how to manifest). Gratitude affirmations accelerate manifestation by creating a state of abundance within us and making our mindset more positive.
- When you feel gratitude, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin which makes you feel happier. This is one of the reasons why expressing gratitude can be so effective for your mental health (source: Positive Psychology).
See more benefits of gratitude.
How to Write Gratitude Affirmations
Write them in the first person
Write “I”.
Affirmations must always be positive
Use them to express gratitude for something positive.
Make them personal
Don’t just use ready-made affirmations that you find on the internet or on this page. The affirmation has to be meaningful to you else it will not create the positive feeling of gratitude that you are trying to generate. Personalize them to reflect your own experiences and aspirations. Instead of using generic statements, tailor your affirmations to include specific details about what you’re thankful for in your life. This personal touch not only deepens your emotional connection to the affirmations but also reinforces the sense of gratitude by making it more tangible and relatable to your daily experiences. For instance, instead of saying “I am thankful for my family,” you could say “I am grateful for the support and love I receive from Amy and Susan.” This specificity can enhance the affirmations’ impact on your mindset and overall well-being.
Make them in the present tense
Phrase them to be in the present and don’t mention things you will appreciate in the future.
Express gratitude for anything and everything
There are so many things you can express gratitude for that you can use a new gratitude affirmation every day and you will never need to repeat them. If you think you don’t have anything to be grateful for then think of the children in Africa who don’t have electricity, running water, or food. Think of people less fortunate than yourself and you will come up with an endless supply of things to be grateful for.
Print them on affirmation cards and carry them with you all day.
Gratitude Affirmations Template
Here is a template to help you write your affirmations.
I am Grateful Affirmations
These grateful affirmations can be for anything you appreciate. Here are some examples:
Morning Gratitude Affirmations
Starting your day with gratitude affirmations is a wonderful way to set a positive tone for the day ahead. Here are some morning gratitude affirmations that you can repeat each morning.
Repeating these affirmations can help cultivate a sense of gratitude and positivity, enhancing your overall well-being.
Morning Gratitude Meditation
I think that one of the best ways to start the day is with a morning gratitude meditation. You can either listen to one on YouTube or you can create your own morning routine.
Start the meditation with a few deep breaths until you are totally relaxed.
Either read a gratitude list that you already prepared or come up with a few things you are grateful for each day. You can also record these things in your gratitude journal after the meditation.
How to Make a Gratitude Affirmation Board
You can make a DIY affirmation board with your favorite affirmations.
Supplies:
- Base: Board, cork, wire mesh board, or cardstock
- Scissors
- Pins or clips
- Printer and paper or cardstock
Method:
- Open the affirmation card maker by clicking on the button below.
- Select the design that you like best. There are many designs available.
- Add one gratitude affirmation to each card.
- Download.
- Print on cardstock or paper.
- Cut out each card.
- Arrange the cards on your affirmation board.
