Affirmations for health worries
For waiting on results, recovering from something or living with a body that needs more care than it used to. These are patient and kind.
24 affirmations: 8 thoughts, each in a gentle, steady and bold version. Updated
What are good affirmations for health worries?
Good affirmations for health worries are short and believable, for example "I'm grateful for what my body can do", "I take good care of myself", and "I have energy for what matters". Say two or three of them out loud, five to ten times each, once a day. If a bold wording feels false, start with the gentle version.
Which version should you say?
Start here if kind words about yourself feel hard to believe.
Plain statements for when the gentle ones already feel true.
For when you believe it and want to say it like you mean it.
- I'm learning to be kind to my body
- I can do one good thing for my body today
- My energy comes back when I rest
- I'm learning to listen to my body
- I'm a little stronger than last week
- I can let the day go when I lie down
- I'm giving my body time
- I can move a little today
- I'm grateful for what my body can do
- I take good care of myself
- I have energy for what matters
- I listen to what my body needs
- I'm getting stronger every day
- I rest deeply and wake up clear
- I'm patient with my body
- Moving my body feels good
- I love the body I live in
- I treat my body like someone I love
- I wake up with energy for my day
- My body and I are on the same side
- I am strong
- I sleep well and wake up ready
- I trust my body
- I love how it feels to move
Say one out loud now
The free affirmation counter listens in your browser and counts each time you say it.
Why these are worded this way
Affirmations don't treat illness, and these are no substitute for medical care. What they can do is soften the way you speak to yourself while you heal, which makes it easier to rest and follow through on care.
How to practise them
- Choose two or three from the list above. Fewer is better than many said half-heartedly.
- Say each one out loud, slowly, five to ten times. Hearing your own voice is part of it.
- Do it at the same time each day, like after brushing your teeth or on your walk to work.
- When a sentence starts to feel natural, switch to its stronger version.
Read more: How Many Times Should You Repeat Affirmations a Day?, Do Affirmations Work? An Honest Look at the Research
Questions
How do I use these affirmations?
Pick two or three that feel true, or nearly true. Say each one out loud five to ten times, slowly, once a day. Morning works well because it sets the tone, but any regular time is fine. Start with the gentle wording if the bold one feels like a lie.
Why are there three versions of each affirmation?
A statement you don't believe can make you feel worse, especially when your self-esteem is low. The gentle version is believable on a hard day, the steady one is a plain statement, and the bold one is for when you're ready. Move up when the current one feels natural.
Is it better to say affirmations out loud?
Saying words out loud helps you remember them better than reading them silently, an effect psychologists call the production effect. It also keeps your attention on the words instead of drifting.
How long until affirmations work?
There's no fixed number of days. Habit research found that a daily behaviour took a median of 66 days to feel automatic. Most people notice the words feel more natural after a few weeks of daily practice.
Let your phone keep count
Mantrify is an iPhone app that reads each affirmation to you, listens while you say it and counts every repetition, so you can practise with your eyes closed. Coming soon.