Christian Affirmations for Anxiety

Hey sweet friend, 

Over the years, I’ve come across the advice over and over again to use affirmations or mantras to help relieve anxiety. The idea is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. 

This is great advice, if you take it with a grain of salt. 

Some of the affirmations I’ve come across include: 

This too shall pass. 

I create my own reality. 

I am enough. 

I am ______ (pick an adjective you want to focus on: patient, kind, love, brave, strong…).

I believe in myself. 

Choose happy. (My least favorite) 

What affirmations have you seen? Similar or different to these? Let me know!

While focusing our thoughts on good and positive things is actually such good advice, the problem with most of these affirmations is that they focus all of our attention on ourselves. It’s all about us. 

It’s a tricky thing, because telling yourself that “I create my own reality,” “I am my own guru,” or “I can do anything” can feel empowering – for a time. It may help you get through a moment of social anxiety or performance anxiety. Maybe it could help you take that deep breath before the plunge.

But only focusing on ourselves quickly leads to disappointment. Why? You already know. Try as we might, we do fail, we do let others down, we do say embarrassing things that we’re going to remember and be haunted by at 3 a.m. when we’re trying to sleep. The truth is we don’t control our own reality. It’s in our Father’s hands.

We don’t control our own reality. It’s in our Father’s hands. 

The reason I’m talking about this is because I started to fall into this trap just a couple of years ago. I was listening to advice from non-Christians about affirmations and manifestation and honestly, it seemed pretty appealing for a couple reasons:

• As a naturally high-achieving, try-to-be-self-reliant gal I loved the idea that I could change my own thought process to stop my anxiety.
• I thought I could accomplish all the things I wanted to do by saying the right words and believing in it enough. 

But, spoiler… I ended up even more anxious. And the worst part – I felt separation from my Savior. I wasn’t putting my hope in HIM. I wasn’t acknowledging his control in my life but I was trying to take it for myself. And that isolated me from his gracious, incredible love.

When I turned to him in prayer and said “I can’t do it myself, please do it for me” I felt the most amazing, overwhelming wave of peace come over me. 

So – do we ditch affirmations? 

Not necessarily. Scripture actually encourages us to monitor our thinking and repeat certain thoughts – always focused on God and his love for us. 

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

This passage directs us to focus our thoughts on good, true, wonderful things. And Paul even says “practice.” He encourages the readers to practice the thoughts and ways and teachings that he has shown them because it might not stick right away. Usually the best things take practice and time.

Here are some Godly affirmations for anxiety that I have found personally helpful in moments of intense anxiety or on difficult days: 

I am loved.

I am enough in Jesus. 

I have everything I need. 

This is the day that the Lord has made. 

I am a conqueror through Jesus Christ. 

I have a good, good Father. 

I am never alone. 

I am provided for. 

It’s not all about me.

I hope these can help bring you comfort and hope to fight off anxious thoughts patterns. 

Let me know below if you have affirmations that help with your anxiety.