How Long Does It Take For Affirmations To Work? – Practical Guide

Affirmations do take some time to work.

Although exactly how long depends on a number of factors.

You may be wondering – what are affirmations?

They are positive statements, repeatedly said with confidence to yourself, in order to change some aspect of yourself or your life.

It’s difficult to gauge how long it will take to see results because each person’s subconscious mind is different.

How Long Does It Take For Affirmations To Work
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How Do Affirmations Work?

Most of us run on autopilot each day.

We think the same thoughts and go through the same motions through routines at work or at home.

This is because the subconscious mind is running the show with programmed thoughts and beliefs that were set when we were much younger. 

Affirmations work to change the unsupportive patterns of belief to more positive patterns that can serve your well-being and who you want to be.

Through many repetitions of supportive affirmations you can convince your subconscious mind to release the old unhelpful pattern and adopt the new one.

Related: Life-Changing Positive Affirmations For Men

Do Affirmations Really Work?

Affirmations do really work, although like many important things in life, they take time.

Using affirmations to change subconscious beliefs is like breaking a habit you’ve had all your life.

You’re replacing long time unhelpful patterns with new thought processes.

The longer you’ve had certain patterns of thoughts, the more commitment to repeating the affirmations it will take to change them.

Through repetitions, you’re changing these patterns bit by bit, training your mind to adopt new thought patterns to better yourself.

These changes put our subconscious mind in a state of resistance. It doesn’t like change.

This resistance is different in each person.

So while it may take twenty eight days of repeating positive affirmations three times every day for one person, it could take sixty days for another.

Affirmation
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What Is The Best Affirmation?

When you have identified an undesirable belief, the best affirmation would be the one that opposes it.

Finding the best positive affirmations really depends what you are working on to change, how resistant to change your subconscious is, and what your goal is.

To make the best affirmations for you, be sure to keep your affirmations:

  • In the present tense
  • Clear and concise
  • Always positive
  • Including a feeling and an action word

Focus on finding an undesirable belief, one that doesn’t serve the way you want to see yourself or your life.

Then you can come up with the positive affirmations you need to get the successful results you’re looking for.

Related: Hypnotic Affirmations For Self-Confidence

How Many Times Repeat Affirmations?

Although there is no hard and fast rule, affirmations work best when you repeat them at least three times a day.

The best times are right upon waking up, just before going to sleep, and anytime you meditate, or are in a reflective state.

Those are the times when your subconscious mind lets down its guard a little bit, so there’s less resistance to a new thought pattern.

Set in your calendar the time you’ll commit to your self affirmations and hold yourself accountable in some way.

After each round of affirmations, let them go. Don’t analyze how you’re feeling or behaving and don’t expect to see or notice anything right away.

It’s best if you can detach from the outcome and don’t over think anything.

How Many Affirmations Should I Focus On
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Related: Can You Manifest Multiple Things At Once? – 11 Tips

How Can I Make My Affirmations Faster?

Changing your accumulated thoughts and beliefs wired into your brain for many years, is not an overnight practice.

However, these are some steps you can take to get quicker results:

  1. Make doing your affirmations a way of life

Decide you’ll make saying affirmations part of your lifestyle.

This will allow your subconscious to be less and less resistant over time.

  1. Identify the perfect time to say your affirmations

Each person has a different time to fit this process into their day.

It’s good to note that the subconscious also has times of the day that it’s less resistant.

Right upon waking, right before sleep, during meditation, during a reflective state.

  1. First identify your limiting beliefs

Deep rooted limiting beliefs can work against your positive statements.

Start identifying them and focus your affirmations on them.

Related: Best Shifting Affirmations For Lasting Change

  1. Be clear and realistic

Make your affirmations crystal clear and to the point.

Write them down and have them ready to repeat regularly.

How Long Does It Take For Affirmations To Work
  1. Visualize the whole scenario

Put yourself in the scene as if you are already where you want to be or become.

Align yourself with it, experience it and see what concrete solutions come to you, how would you perform, imagine the details and feel the person you want to become.

This will speed up the manifestation.

  1. Let go of any attachment to the outcome

Read your affirmations as stated above, let go, and then submerge yourself in whatever actions match your goal.

  1. The last step is to take action

Nothing will happen if you don’t take action toward your goal.

Doing your affirmations this way can inspire you to action, so it’s important to take the steps required.

If you do nothing, nothing will happen.

Related: Speaking Things Into Existence – 11 Law Of Attraction Strategies

Interrogative Self-Talk

With interrogative self-talk you make affirmations and then question them.

This way the affirmation is more likely to make sense to your subconscious mind.

Rather than just saying, “I can do this!”, you ask yourself, “How can I do this?”, “What is my first step to do this?”, “What resources do I already have that will help me?”.

This process engages the problem solving part of our brain.

It also provides naturally motivated reasons to back up your initial affirmation of “I can do this!”.

Affirmations
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Related: How Many Affirmations Should I Focus On? – Practical Guide

Affirmations For Success

Here are some affirmations geared around success that could get you started.

In everyone’s life success can mean different things, so these are for well-being, money, weight loss, etc.

Choose the ones that mean the most to you for your life.

  1. “I am enough, and always will be.”
  2. “I have all that I require to make today great.”
  3. “I am courageous and willing to step forward and face my fears.”
  4. “I am a powerful creator and I create the life I want.”
  5. “My confidence keeps rising.”
  6. “I am worthy of abundance.”
  7. “I am motivated and work well under pressure.”
  8. “I feel passionate and am focused on my work.”
  9. “I can let go of old beliefs that have blocked my success.”
  10. “I celebrate each goal I accomplish with joy and gratitude.”
  11. “I am so grateful for my success.”
  12. “I feel the weight melting off my body.”
  13. “I feel strong and vibrant.”
  14. “I am self-reliant and creative.”
  15. “I am able to put new ideas into practice easily.”
  16. “My actions bring me closer to my goals.”
  17. “Today I release old habits and take on new positive ones.”
  18. “I am happy and free because I am me.”
  19. “I am worthy of success and well-being.”
  20. “I am valuable and make powerful contributions to the world today.”
  21. “I have all the money I require to live my life in comfort.”
  22. “I live in a beautiful home by the sea.”
  23. “My actions bring me closer to my goals.”
  24. “My body is in harmony with perfect health.”
  25. “I am confident, assured, and strong.”

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About The Author

Bijan Kholghi is a certified life coach with the Milton Erickson Institute Heidelberg (Germany). He helps clients and couples reach breakthroughs in their lives by changing subconscious patterns. His solution-oriented approach is based on Systemic- and Hypnotherapy.

Bijan