12 Calming Affirmations for Anxiety

If you struggle with anxiety, you know it can be a real buzzkill. It whittles its way into your brain and keeps you up at night.

In some cases, anxiety can be extremely debilitating and sucks away your quality of life. Maybe you’re feeling incredibly anxious right now, searching for a remedy to ease your worries and give your mind a goddamn break!

I know how you feel. I’ve struggled with anxious thoughts and panic attacks, and I know how deeply it sucks. Over the years, I figured out some useful and calming affirmations for anxiety that help me feel more at ease.

Studies show that positive self-affirmations can help reduce stress and ruminating thoughts. They help break the negative thought cycle and slowly introduce you to a new, healthy perspective.

#1 – I Am Safe

Anxiety is all about fear. Fear is an emotion that comes about when you face a dangerous situation. That means anxiety is a completely natural and healthy response when it comes up every once in a while.

However, sometimes your anxiety gets a bit out of hand. It gets triggered even when you’re safe and out of harm’s way. But it doesn’t feel like that. You know just how incredibly unsafe anxiety can make you feel.

Simply reminding yourself that you are safe can be a game-changer. When you focus on the present moment and focus on the fact that nothing can hurt you, your anxiety may start to ease.

#2 – I Remember a Time Where I Felt Safe and at Peace

Here’s the thing—you may be in a toxic relationship, work under a horrible boss, or find yourself in another type of highly stressful or even dangerous environment. If that’s the case for you, telling yourself that you are safe won’t help anything at all.

If you’re stuck in a harmful situation like this, you may feel hopeless and anxious and confused. It might even be hard to remember a time that you were safe and felt at peace. In times like these, it can help to remind yourself that in the past you experienced safety, and you are capable of finding it again.

#3 – Healing Takes Time – I am Proud of Myself for Trying

When you’re trying to improve your mental wellness and overcome your anxiety, it’s easy to fall into a new type of anxiety. When I began my journey of self-healing, I began to feel anxious about the pace of my recovery progress.

Let’s be real, healing takes a long time. But my anxiety-brain didn’t want to acknowledge that. It kept pestering me with thoughts like, “why is this taking so long? Are you doing something wrong? How can we speed up the process? What if I never feel whole again?”

To help myself veer away from this dark line of thinking, I constantly reminded myself that healing takes time and I am proud of myself for trying. I know I am trying my best to heal and that is all that matters.

#4 – My Thoughts and Emotions are Real and Valid

It’s important to validate yourself. Anxiety can make you feel like you’re crazy or can’t handle simple tasks. That is not true at all! The thing is that anxiety is extremely real and very debilitating. Most importantly, it’s not your fault!

Remind yourself that every anxious thought and worried feeling you have is valid. There is an important reason that you feel this way. Let yourself express self-compassion and grant yourself the space to understand where you’re coming from.

When you deny the validity of your thoughts and emotions, it can hurt. It makes you feel like you’re doing something wrong and actively hurting yourself. The fact is that every thought and emotion you experience is grounded in something and cannot be dismissed.

You are allowed to feel anxious, you are allowed to think anxious thoughts. It is completely valid to feel how you are feeling and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.

#5 – My Thoughts and Emotions Don’t Define Me

On the flip side of the coin, your thoughts and emotions don’t define you. Feeling anxious doesn’t make you an anxious person. You can overcome anxiety, and it is only temporary.

You are so much more than your anxiety and your worries, but sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. The more you feel anxious, the more it can feel like panic has become a central part of your identity.

Thankfully, that’s false. You are not your mental health struggles or illnesses. You are an entire person with hobbies, beliefs, favorite foods, talents, and goals.

Whatever you’re struggling with at the present moment can be overcome, because you are ever-changing and ever-growing as a person.

#6 – There is Magic Inside Me

Out of all the calming affirmations for anxiety on this list, this one is the most inspiring and life-changing for me.

You don’t have to think of it like you have literal hidden magical talents deep inside you, waiting to come out. After all, you’re not Harry Potter.

There is magic inside you in the sense that you have so much potential. You are smart, skilled, and talented. Even if you don’t feel it now, you are capable of feeling passion, motivation, and satisfaction. You are a work in progress, and you have plenty of time to find your purpose.

After all, what else is life for?

If the magic language doesn’t cut it for you, what I’m basically saying here is this: the journey is just as important as the destination. Trust yourself and the universe, and you will find your way. You are enough.

#7 – I am Worthy and Deserving of a Happy Life

Anxiety rears its ugly head at the worst of times. If you get anxious in social situations, having fun at a party and making new friends can feel impossible. A fear of public speaking could cause you to miss out on incredible career opportunities.

This anxiety affirmation is perfect for tackling scary situations head-on. Imagine that you’re incredibly anxious the night before a big job interview. You’re so anxious that you’re considering dropping out of the running for your dream job right this moment.

While you lie in bed building up the worries in your head, take a moment to stop and remind yourself that you’ve got this. Not only that, but you’re worthy and deserving of a happy life.

You have every right to head into that interview, join the party, or walk out onto a stage in front of hundreds of people. You earned your spot here, and you deserve this chance to enjoy the moment change your life for the better!

#8 – My Thoughts Aen’t Permanent and Can Change

Anxious feelings come with anxious thoughts. These thoughts are often tireless and leave you exhausted and drained. Anxiety can be so bad that you end up in a ball on the floor gasping for breath. Not that feeling anxious in any capacity is pleasant.

When it’s unbearable and just won’t leave you alone, you might start to feel hopeless and like it will never stop.

The fact is that you can heal your anxiety! There are tons of small lifestyle changes you can make to reduce stress and anxiety in your life. Join a yoga class, start a journal, engage in a mindfulness practice, or take time to make art and listen to music.

You can also choose to start seeing a mental health professional to ease your anxiety. Therapists and psychologists are professionally trained to heal mental health issues and help you get your life back on track.

When you’re in the thick of a particularly bad panic attack and the anxious thoughts won’t stop circulating, try to remind yourself that your thoughts aren’t permanent. They can change. Help is out there and things won’t always be this hard.

#9 – The Past is Over

Sometimes our anxieties about the present and the future stem from traumatic experiences we’ve faced in the past. It’s common to hold onto beliefs about the world and yourself that were planted in you by relationships or significant events that ended many years ago.

Maybe you went through something a while ago and you’re terrified that it will happen again. If you were attacked by a dog in a particular park, it may be hard to return there for a picnic even years after the event.

In those moments, it may be helpful to tell yourself, “the past is over.” Remember that it’s a completely different day of the week, or that the dog that attacked you can’t hurt you anymore because its owners moved away.

The past is over. It’s a whole new day, and you are safe.

#10 – Breathing Brings Calm

Controlled breathing exercises are proven to help reduce stress and enhance relaxation. Breathwork is an important part of yoga and meditation and is a fantastic grounding technique when you’re anxious.

The problem is that when you’re anxious, the last thing on your mind is focusing on your breath. You’re too busy focusing on your relationship troubles or worrying about that big upcoming meeting at work.

Anxiety doesn’t just affect people mentally. The symptoms can be felt throughout your entire body. You may shake, begin to sweat, feel your stomach tighten up and your heartbeat rate increase, and take sharp, short breaths.

Reminding yourself that controlled breathing brings calm can help you center yourself to focus on your breath. When you slow your breathing, your body automatically calms down and gives your brain the signal that you are safe.

When you have a panic attack, you may feel like you can’t breathe at all. Just know that the moment will pass and when it does, then you can control your breathing.

#11 – I am in Control of…

Anxiety makes you feel completely out of control. Even the fact that you have anxiety reinforces inside your head the idea that you can’t handle the obstacles thrown in your path. (Hint: you actually can!)

Your anxiety wants you to avoid these obstacles because it feels like staying far away is the safest option.

But when your anxiety starts to act up and prevent you from doing the things you want and need to do to live a fulfilling life, it feels like your life and potential are being snatched away from you.

When you feel so out of control, it’s important to remember what you do have control over. You can control your breathing. You can choose what you want to eat for dinner tonight. You get to decide what color toothbrush you buy next.

It doesn’t just have to be the little things, but the little things are important. If you feel in control in one area of your life, like your friendships, or romantic relationships, or your local soccer league, take some time to think about that.

#12 – I Don’t Have to Prove Anything to Anyone

So many people are anxious about pleasing others. They’re anxious about completing their work perfectly to please a strict boss. They’re nervous about establishing boundaries with a romantic partner. They’re afraid of feeling judged or excluded.

If you’re overly concerned about pleasing other people, ask yourself why. Why do you feel like you have to prove anything to others? Because I’m here to tell you that you don’t.

The next time you feel like you need to prove yourself to be worthy, stop. Your worth is not determined by other people. You get to be yourself, establish your needs, and follow your goals. You deserve it.

Calming Affirmations for Anxiety Lead to Positive Change

You can overcome your anxieties and live the life you’ve always dreamed about. It is possible to heal from your mental health issues if you’re willing to try.

Whether you’re just getting started on your recovery journey or you’ve been seeing therapists and life coaches for years, you can benefit from positive daily affirmations. They won’t immediately change everything, but they will help get you going on the path best for you.