Start with five affirmations or fewer, and keep the same ones for about a month before you change them.
Why fewer affirmations work better
The most common mistake is starting with too many phrases, a dozen covering money, health, confidence, love and focus all at once. Repetition is what makes phrases work, and with twelve phrases, each one gets a twelfth of the repetitions. Aim your first five at one area of your life.
How to choose a good affirmation
Keep a phrase if it feels right when you say it. “I am calm under pressure” holds up on a hard day, and so does “I am seen and loved deeply.” Research by Ethan Kross and colleagues suggests that even small grammar changes affect how words land. Talking to yourself by name or as “you” gives you a little distance from your feelings, which is why “You handle hard things well” can feel easier to accept than a first-person claim.
Try an affirmation as a question
Questions can work too. A study by Ibrahim Senay and colleagues found that people solved more puzzles after writing “Will I?” than after writing “I will.” The question seems to make people think of their own reasons instead of feeling pushed. “What if this works out?” is a good phrase to use.
Five affirmations to start with
Here are five to use or rewrite: I am seen and loved deeply. I always follow through. I am always in a growth mindset. You have handled every day so far. What if it goes well? They cover five kinds of phrases: a statement, a commitment, an identity, a reminder of what you have already done and a question. Different kinds suit different moods.
How to set them up in SOMOTE
In SOMOTE, put them in their own Playlist with a low opacity and a relaxed frequency, and then leave the settings alone. After you write your phrases, there is nothing else to do. SOMOTE repeats them for you all day. Writing your own phrases is part of SOMOTE Plus. To go further, try robotic affirming: short, one-sentence affirmations, repeated for thirty days.