“I choose sleep, rest, peace, and relaxation over stress and worry”
Self-Care Isn’t An Option
Your connection with yourself is an essential yet under-emphasized part of mental health. The time you take to recharge, recollect, and look inward helps you achieve homeostasis and acts as a means of recovery. Wellness and mindfulness are integral to self-care and should be addressed as often as any other health practice.
As children, we’re constantly told to mine the things we say. As adults, we lose connection with our internal dialogue as habits and multiple responsibilities seem to get in the way. Negative self-talk worsens the impact of stress and can reduce efficacy, esteem, and confidence.
Moreover, as someone who has dealt with anxiety and negativity during certain times in life, I have always sought different ways to help ground myself. In the past year, I’ve looked at different domains in my life and have tried to improve each one by one. I began walking more, running for my physical health, and journaling my thoughts for my mental health.
Another key that changed is sticking to a consistent sleep schedule and ending the day positively to set me up for the following morning. I introduce to you – nighttime, or sleep, affirmations.
What Are Sleep Affirmations?
A nighttime, or sleep, affirmation is a healing technique to reduce stress and relax you just before bed. Like all affirmations, sleep affirmations don’t change anything by simply saying them aloud. Using an affirmation involves thinking about, saying aloud, and writing down a short phrase or sentence that helps remind a person of their value, strengths, and abilities.
Affirmations, when used consistently, help create new beliefs and confidence. So, sleep affirmations will help you focus on positive thoughts, reduce stress, and prepare your body for a whole night of rest.
Do Affirmations Work While You Sleep?
I believe – regardless – that your body listens to the information you feed into it. Whether you’re awake or asleep, the information you tell yourself gets stored in your brain and your cells. It will be encoded and more easily recalled if it’s strong enough (negative or positive). The things we tell ourselves become beliefs, and that impacts our behavior.
Ultimately, more beliefs are created to validate that initial belief. Putting positive affirmations, thoughts, and energy into the world will bring positivity back into your life. If you go to bed in a positive state of mind and with positive thoughts, chances are you’ll be rested in the morning and wake up with a positive attitude.
If my beliefs aren’t enough to convince you, I researched some neuroscience for backup. While we sleep, our brains process the events of the day prior. During sleep, our subconscious becomes more active and receptive to the information we’ve processed. Our subconscious’s heightened state allows affirmations to penetrate deeply into our programming, rewiring our brains.
READ THE GUIDE: The Daily Affirmations Handbook
If you’re wondering what you would say to yourself before bed, I’ve compiled a brief list of 24 sleep affirmations to give you a head start. See below.
20 Sleep Affirmations To Say Before Bed
- Calming thoughts and optimism will fill my dreams. I am in a safe space to sleep.
- I choose sleep, rest, peace, and relaxation over stress and worry.
- I am learning, I’m growing, and I’m excited for tomorrow.
- My dreams are a place for positivity and hope only. I believe in myself.
- I am thankful for the opportunities that came my way today. Now, I shall rest. Tomorrow, my goals are always possible.
- I am grateful for my body; it is relaxed. I look forward to tomorrow.
- I have done enough today. I’m at peace with the universe. Great things come after a good night of sleep.
- I did my best today. I am ready to be recharged. Tomorrow is a new opportunity.
- My mind is full. I am letting go today. Tomorrow, my mind and my body will shine again.
- I am thankful for this day, grateful for this bed, and looking forward to tomorrow.
- I am proud of myself for today. Tomorrow will be even better. I am a beautiful being. I deserve to sleep.
- I am not defined by my mistakes of today. I deserve a good night’s rest. I am worthy of tomorrow.
- Stress and worries can’t control me. I will let go and be at peace. I deserve a good night’s sleep.
- I am worthy of resting, relaxing, and dreaming. My good dreams will become a reality.
- Today is gone; I am going to sleep in peace. My mind is in synchronization with the natural state of the universe.
- At this moment, I have chosen to stop worrying, stressing, and dwelling on negativity. I am in a natural wellness state. My body deserves a good night.
- I welcome a peaceful, calming, and gentle night. With these breaths, I relieve my mind and my body of all anxiety and stress.
- My sleep calms me and recharges me for a better tomorrow.
- I am healthy and will thank my body for a good night’s rest.
- I love myself. My mind, my soul, and my body are beautiful. I will attract loving dreams.
Quotes That Are Guiding Us This Week
A couple of quotes along the way often help. Here are some of the favorites this week.
- Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow. — Albert Einstein
- Self-care is your fuel…Whatever the road ahead or the path you’ve taken, self-care is what keeps your motor running and your wheels turning. ― Melissa Steginus
- Learn to say no to demands, requests, invitations, and activities that leave you with no time for yourself. Until I learned to say no, and mean it, I was always overloaded by stress.
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