How to Utilize Affirmations

How many times per session do I repeat Affirmations?

5-10 repetitions is ideal

Why?

• Fewer than 5 doesn’t create enough enforcement

• More than 10 can turn mechanical instead of embodied

• The sub conscious responds better to feeling + repetition,  not force

• Tip: Say it slowly, not quickly. Let each one land.

How often per day?

2-3 times a day works best:

• Morning (set your nervous system for the day)

• Evening (programs the subconscious before sleep)

• Optional midday reset if emotions are high

  
  

Even once a day is enough if done consistently

How long should you do affirmations?

Minimum:

21 days

This is the classic “pattern interruption” window ––new neural pathways begin forming.

Ideal:

30-40 days

This is where changes stabilize emotionally and energetically.

Deep integration:

60-90 days

At this point, the affirmation often becomes a belief instead of a practice.

You can stop earlier if the statement feels true without effort

ONE VERY IMPORTANT RULE

If an affirmation feels false or triggers resistance, adjust it.

Instead of:

“I am completely safe and confident”

Use:

“ I am learning to feel safer and more confident each day”

Your nervous system accepts gentle truths faster that forced positivity

Best Way to Say Them

Choose one:

• out loud (most powerful)

• Whispered

• Internally with a hand on your stomach or chest

Add one breath per affirmation:

Inhale ––> Say it ––> Exhale ––> Feel it

Simple Example Routine:

Morning (2-3 minutes):

• Choose 1-3 affirmations

• Say each 5-10 times

• Hand on heart

Night (2 minutes):

• Same affirmations

• Slower and softer tone

That’s it. No strain. No pressure.

This is all that is required for affirmations to work. What makes them so effective isn’t the effort, intensity, or believing them 100% at first. It’s consistent exposure paired with emotional safety.

The Science Behind Affirmations

Here’s the Science behind why affirmations work, explained clearly and grounded

1. Your brain changes through repetition (Neuroplasticity)

Your brain is not fixed. It rewires itself based on what it hears repeatedly.

Every thought you think strengthens a neural pathway. Affirmations work by activating a new pathway often enough that it becomes easier to access than the old one.

• Old pathway: “I am not safe/ not enough/ unseen”

• New Pathway: “I am learning to feel safe/ capable/ supported”

When you repeat an affirmation:

• The prefrontal cortex (thinking brain) sends signals

• Repetition strengthens synaptic connections

• Over time, the brain defaults to the newer pathway.

This is the same mechanism our brains use in habit formation and skill learning.

2. The Subconscious learns through emotion, not logic

The subconscious mind does not evaluate truth the way the conscious mind does.

It learns through:

• Repetition

• Tone

• Emotional State

• Body Cues

That’s why:

• Saying affirmations while calm works better than saying them forcefully

• Adding a hand on your chest helps –– it activates the parasympathetic nervous system

When the body feels safe, the subconscious is more receptive.

3. Self-affirmation reduces threat responses

Studies in psychology show that self affirmation:

• Reduces activity in the amygdala (Fear centre)

• Increases openness to new information

• Lowers defensiveness and stress hormones

Affirmations make the brain fell less under attack, so change can happen.

4. Why “belief” is NOT required at first

This is important.

Affirmations do not  work because you believe them. They work because your brain becomes familiar with them. Familiar thoughts feel safer. Safer thought get chosen more often. Chosen thoughts become beliefs; belief come after repetition –– not before.

5. Why timing matters (morning & night)

Our brains have two highly receptive windows; Just after waking up and just before sleep.

During these times:

• Brain waves are slower (alpha/theta)

• The subconscious is more accessible

• Critical thinking is reduced

That is why short, consistent sessions are better than long ones.

6. Why Fewer Affirmations Work Better

Using 1-3 affirmations prevents cognitive overload, allows for emotional integration, and keeps the nervous system regulated. Too many affirmations = mental noise.

7. What affirmations are changing

Affirmations don’t magically “attract" things. They change our attention, the things we notice, how we interpret different situations, and our emotional responses to those situations. Ultimately changing our behavioural choice over time. This is how the external results of affirmations eventually shift.

The scientific formula for effective Affirmations is:

Repetition + Emotional Safety + Time = Neural Change

That’s it. No visualizations, no forcing belief, no intensity.

If affirmations ever feel exhausting or frustrating, they’re being over used to misphrased. The most effective affirmations sound almost boring:

Example “ I am learning to trust myself more each day”

Boring = believable = effective.