Holiday Affirmations To Inspire and Uplift You
By integrating even just a few uplifting holiday affirmations into your daily self-care routine, you can shift your mindset and truly embrace the spirit of the season.
The holiday season often brings a mix of emotions – joy, gratitude, stress, anxiety. With so much going on, it can be easy to lose sight of the magic of the season. That’s why bringing in elements of self-care like gratitude affirmations can make a big difference.
In this article, we’ll explore the power of blending affirmations and gratitude, tips for writing your own affirmations, and 27 affirmation examples to inspire you this holiday season.
Related Article: The Power of Daily Affirmations
The Power of Gratitude Affirmations
Gratitude affirmations combine positive thinking with an appreciation for what you already have in life. By focusing on what’s going right rather than what’s stressing you out, gratitude affirmations help reframe challenges and boost happiness.
Research shows that regular gratitude practices stimulate the brain’s ventral striatum – the “reward center” – flooding it with dopamine. This helps improve mood, motivation and feelings of connection.
Gratitude also enhances empathy and relationships. It can even improve sleep quality and heart health according to studies at UC San Diego and Harvard Medical School.
By blending affirmations with gratitude, you double down on the benefits. Affirmations help reprogram your subconscious mind over time. Repeating positive statements (“I gracefully handle anything that comes my way”) combats limiting beliefs (“I can’t deal with one more thing right now“) by literally neurologically strengthening new neural pathways.
So gratitude affirmations gently guide you toward more uplifting perspectives. Rather than just forcing yourself to “think positive”, they meet you where you are – then lift you higher through consistency and self-care.
Tips For Writing Your Own Holiday Affirmations
Writing your own affirmations makes them more personal. But it helps to have some guidelines:
Keep them short and positive. Aim for uplifting phrases 10 words or less using upbeat language. (“I embrace the magic of the holidays“)
Write in present tense. Even for things you want to manifest later, use present tense for the subconscious impact. (“My family has everything we need“ rather than “My family will have…”)
Make them easy to remember. Choose something you can recall and repeat to yourself as needed. Rhyming can help. (“I feel carefree and stress-free.“)
Tailor to your situation. Consider your own holiday needs and reflect them. (“I am focused only on the good things“ or “I allow myself to rest.“)
Infuse your personality! Capture your own voice and word choices. This keeps them meaningful for you. (“I chill the heck out and go with the flow.“)
Set a gratitude affirmation intention each morning to carry with you through the bustle of the day. Place reminders around your home. Share them aloud together as a family to set the tone.
However you use them, these simple positive phrases can guide your mindset – and your season – in a more easeful direction.
27 Gratitude Affirmations to Spark Holiday Magic
Here are 27 gratitude affirmations to spark some holiday magic, with themes around family, self-care and embracing the spirit of the season.
Holiday Magic & Overall Gratitude Affirmations
I embrace the magic of the holidays
The holiday season brings me joy
My heart is filled with joy and gratitude
I feel the magic of Christmas
Everything is falling into place
I allow myself to rest
I give myself grace
I chill the heck out and go with the flow
Family & Gathering Gratitude Affirmations
I am grateful for my family
I am grateful to share delicious food with my loved ones
I am grateful for this time together
I feel gratitude for the moments I am sharing with loved ones
I appreciate every moment of the season
Memories made with my loved ones are precious
I am making long-lasting memories with my family
I am making the holidays special for my kids
Presence & Peace Gratitude Affirmations
I am present I am at peace
I will remain positive
I feel blissful happiness this time of year
I am focused on gratitude
I am focused only on the good things
I am calm and relaxed this holiday season
I gracefully handle anything that comes my way
Try integrating 1-2 of these each day through the bustle of the season. See if they help you tune out the stress and tune into the magic!
Related Article: Five Positive Affirmations to Start Your Day
The Power of Affirmations for Busy Women
Women often bear the brunt of emotional labor and mental load during the holidays. So affirmations can provide uplifting respite from the extra workload.
But even beyond the holidays, incorporating positive affirmations into your regular self-care routine has lasting benefits. The simple act of repeating empowering mantras throughout your day rewires your neurology over time.
Here’s why affirmations work so well:
They combat limiting beliefs. Messages like “I’ll never get it all done” or “I can’t keep all these balls in the air” get reinforced over years. Affirmations directly counter this. (“I am productive yet peaceful. I gracefully handle anything that comes my way.”)
Affirmations boost motivation. Hearing something positive about yourself, even if you don’t quite believe it yet, is encouraging. It lifts mood and self-esteem in the short term. (“I joyfully accomplish all tasks on my list today.“)
They help to rewire your brain. Neuroplasticity allows neural pathways to change. Using affirmations strengthens new connections between neurons, while underutilized negative pathways weaken over time.
By repeating positive affirmations throughout your day, you nudge your subconscious mind toward more supportive perspectives. Think of it like taking your own positivity prescription!
Here are 5 types of affirmations busy women can benefit from:
Productivity Affirmations
I effortlessly glide through my to-do list I complete each task with ease and grace
I work smart, not hard
Stress Relief Affirmations
I inhale peace, I exhale tension
I lovingly set boundaries I chill the heck out and go with the flow
Confidence Boosting Affirmations
I gracefully handle anything that comes my way I believe in myself and my abilities Challenges make me stronger and wiser
Health Affirmations
I nourish my body with wholesome foods
I refresh and recharge my body daily Moving my body brings me joy
Relationship Affirmations
My loved ones feel seen, heard and valued I speak my truth with kindness and clarity
I radiate warmth, patience and understanding
Even just taking 5 minutes when you wake up, during lunch or before bed to repeat a few affirmations makes a difference over time. You don’t have to believe them fully. Just opening yourself to the possibility of them being true for you plants the seeds.
And pairing affirmations with other pillars of self-care – rest, healthy eating, social connection, mindfulness practices – creates an environment where those seeds can take root and bloom.
The Ultimate Guide to Holiday Affirmations
The holidays can spark magic – but also madness. So let’s explore how affirmations specifically help during this festive yet frenzied time of year.
Top Holiday Stressors
The usual sources of holiday stress tend to fall into a few categories:
Finances – from buying gifts to holiday travel
Fatigue – late nights and overscheduling
Family – navigating dynamics and people-pleasing
Perfectionism – pressure to create picture-perfect memories
Grief – sadness when missing loved ones
While affirmations alone can’t erase all holiday headaches, they do help counter the draining mental chatter that exacerbates your stress.
Benefits of Holiday Affirmations
Affirmations help reframe draining mindsets causing the stress by nudging you toward more positive perspectives.
Specifically, holiday affirmations can:
Combat materialism or financial strain – “I cherish presence over presents”
Temper exhaustion or lack of personal time – “I schedule rest amid the hustle”
Soothe family drama or loneliness – “I attract warmth and belonging”
Ease perfectionistic tendencies – “I embrace imperfectly perfect holidays”
Provide comfort from grief – “Loving memories fill my heart”
Overall, they remind you to be present, find meaning in connections over to-do lists, embrace your enoughness amid the hustle – and most importantly, give yourself grace.
Tips for Putting Them Into Action
Repeating affirmations in your head is a start. But going a step further boosts their power:
Write it down. Journaling or handwriting phrases cements them further neurologically.
Post reminders. Place sticky notes, holiday cards with affirmations or phone lock screen images around your home.
Share the magic. Speak affirmations aloud together as a family when making cookies, before mealtimes, during car rides. Model self-care for your kids!
Give it 21 days. It takes about 3 weeks for new neural pathways to stick. So try daily affirmations for the holidays.
Pair with other tools. Combine affirmations with meditation, visualization, music, healthy habits to multiply their power. Two tools are better than one!
Soon you may notice your internal chatter shifting – those limiting stories losing their grip while more positive perspectives take root. What better gift to yourself than a more easeful holiday mindset?
Michelle D. Garrett is the founder of Divas With A Purpose.
She focuses on sharing resources for being purposely productive; setting personal and professional goals and achieving them through daily action; and successfully running a business while focusing on your mental health. Michelle is a full-time entrepreneur who specializes in teaching female entrepreneurs how to show up consistently in their business – online and off.