Healing affirmations by body part

An affirmation is a short, first-person sentence that names the stance you would like to take towards what you are living: "I can rest", "I say what I need". In the emotional and spiritual approach to health, each part of the body and each complaint has one, drawn from the inner step its meaning points to. This page gathers affirmations from our condition and feeling pages, head to toe, each linked to the page it comes from.

If you were looking for "Louise Hay affirmations": the sentences below are our own, not hers. For how her list works, see Louise Hay's list explained.

What is an affirmation in this approach?

Here a symptom is treated as a question the body may be asking. Each page offers reflection questions and closes with one affirmation: a sentence that turns a fear or a habit into an invitation. "I have to hold everything" becomes "I can carry what is mine, and I can hand the rest back."

Three things matter about these sentences:

• They are in the present and in the first person. "I let", "I can", "I take my place."
• They are a stance, not a promise. None of them says the pain will leave or the illness will heal. They speak to how you meet what is happening. Care for the body stays with your doctor.
• They are meant to be adapted. If a word does not fit you, change it. A smaller sentence you can believe beats a grand one you cannot.

If you are not sure which part of the body to start with, the emotions body map shows the feelings most often linked with each area, and what is my body trying to tell me? explains how to listen to a symptom.

How to use an affirmation

There is no right method. Four simple ways, to choose from and keep light:

• At the mirror. Look at yourself for a few seconds and say the sentence once, slowly, out loud. If it feels awkward, notice that without forcing anything.
• In the morning. Read the sentence before you look at your phone, or write it on a card by the bed. Many people keep one sentence for a week rather than changing daily.
• In writing. Write the affirmation at the top of a page, then write whatever comes in response, including "I don't believe this".
• With the breath. Say the first half on a slow breath in and the second half on a slow breath out. "I can rest" (in) … "and I am allowed to let go" (out). Stop if it makes you dizzy or tense.

If an affirmation stirs up distress rather than ease, put it down. It is not a test you can fail.

Head

These speak about pressure, control and rest. See the head and nervous system.

• I give my thoughts room to breathe. I can be patient, flexible and gentle with myself. — Headaches
• I release the pressure. I can slow down, face what is and move forward at my own pace. — Migraines
• I can rest. The world keeps turning while I sleep, and I am allowed to let go. — Insomnia
• I trust life, and I trust what I feel inside. I do not need to control everything for life to be good. — Nervousness

Eyes and ears

The eyes are about what you allow yourself to see; the ears, what you allow yourself to hear. See eyes and ears.

• I look ahead with trust. I have the strength and the wisdom to meet what is coming. — Myopia
• I calm the noise inside me. I listen to my inner voice with trust and gentleness. — Tinnitus
• I lend an ear to what is around me and within me. I can hear without holding on, and keep my heart open. — Earache

Mouth and throat

Here words are formed or held back, so these are about speaking. See mouth and teeth.

• I allow myself to speak freely. I take back the place that is mine and live in integrity with my heart and with the truth. — Jaw pain
• I let myself be aware of what I feel without pushing it down. When I take a decision, I free myself. — Teeth grinding
• I find my words and I say what I think. I let myself taste every flavour of life. — Tongue problems
• I can say what is true for me. My feelings are allowed, and expressing them frees my throat. — Sore throat
• I trust myself. I say things as they are, and I stay true to myself. — Lump in the throat

Neck and shoulders

The neck turns the head to see every side; the shoulders carry. See shoulders and back.

• I open myself to a new way of seeing. I can look at this moment and welcome what is new in my life. — Stiff neck
• I look at life from every angle with an open mind. I express what I feel and let others support me. — Upper back and neck pain
• I am responsible for myself. I let others carry their own happiness, I share the load, and I live this day as it comes. — Shoulder pain
• It is time to take care of myself. I let others look after their own happiness, and I listen to what I need. — Rounded shoulders

Arms and hands

Taking life in hand without gripping it. See arms and hands.

• I accept the change that has arrived. I can take a risk, discover another path, and include the whole of who I am. — Carpal tunnel syndrome
• I can drop an old pattern and take a better direction. I let love move through the events that present themselves. — Tennis elbow
• I let my energy move freely into action. I trust myself, stay open to each situation, and take the chances life offers me. — Wrist pain
• I take my place with each finger of my hand. I let go of the pressure, say what I need, and listen to what I already know. — Finger pain

Chest and heart

The chest holds the feelings people most often hide. See heart and circulation.

• I let my real feelings show. Being true, vulnerability included, is never a loss. — Chest pain
• I let go of what is no longer good for me. I choose my road, and I let harmony return in love and in the life around me. — Palpitations
• I let the steam out gently. I accept myself as I am, and I no longer need pressure to feel alive. — High blood pressure
• I can love without gripping, and I can let help land in me. — Angina

Lungs

Room, breath and asking for help. See the respiratory system.

• I can breathe for myself. With each breath in I am supported, and with each breath out I can let go. — Asthma
• I can breathe in my own time, and I can let a true word out. — Bronchitis
• I express what I feel calmly and clearly. I let go of irritation and make room for peace. — Cough
• I can ask for help, and I can lay down what was never mine to carry. — Pneumonia

Stomach and digestion

Taking in what life brings and letting the rest go. See the digestive system.

• I let life feed me. I say what I feel, I forgive what I can, and I trust that I am safe. — Stomach pain
• I stay calm and listen to my real feelings. Life is good, and my needs are met at the right time. — Heartburn
• I let the past move through me. I learn to love myself, to be myself and to take my place. — Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• I let go of what no longer suits me. I free myself from the past and trust life to carry me forward. — Constipation

Back

Being supported, and putting down what is not yours. See back.

• I am supported at all times. I let go of burdens that are not mine and trust life to bring me what I need. — Lower back pain
• I let the past rest and come back to a calm here and now. Asking for help is a sign of intelligence, and I allow myself to receive it. — Middle back pain
• My real security is inside me. I can be flexible, accept my limits, and move forward without having to hold everything alone. — Sciatica
• I can carry what is mine, and I can hand the rest back. — Slipped disc

Hips and reproductive organs

The hips carry you through turning points; the reproductive organs hold creativity, cycles and intimacy. See hips and the reproductive system.

• I no longer have to be everyone's mother. I let myself receive, I make my decisions with flexibility, and I move forward with trust. — Hip pain
• I live in harmony with my body and its cycles. I let my emotions and my creative energy flow freely. — Menstrual pain
• I accept the changes in my body and in my life. I live for myself, with the wisdom these years have given me. — Menopause
• My authority is inside me. I can feel what I feel, enjoy my life, and choose from there. — Prostate problems

Legs and feet

Direction, trust and change. See legs and feet.

• I bend with the flow of life. I open myself to help and trust my inner authority to guide me. — Knee pain
• Whatever new situation comes, I find my security inside me. I trust myself and move beyond my resistance to change. — Leg pain
• I welcome what life puts on my road. I lean on myself and follow the path that suits me best. — Ankle pain
• I love the feet that carry me. I choose a path in tune with what I truly want, and I move forward from my roots with grace and determination. — Foot pain

Skin

The skin is the border between you and the world: worth, closeness and being seen. See skin.

• I accept myself as I am, right now. I have the right to take my place and to be seen. — Acne
• I allow myself to feel what I feel. I can welcome closeness and still stay safe within myself. — Eczema
• I accept my sensitivity. I can open to contact, stay close to myself, and trust life with what I feel. — Psoriasis
• I listen to what this itch has to tell me. I take back my place, I let my creativity flow, and I trust myself to see what needs to change. — Itchy skin
• I can matter to myself first, and I can meet other people from there. — Hives

Whole body

For what is felt everywhere at once: rest, pace and worth. See whole body.

• I allow myself to stop, to take stock and to rest. I live this moment, and I let what I love bring my energy back. — Fatigue
• I am an important person in my own life. I listen to my inner voice, I treat myself with kindness, and I move at the pace my body allows. — Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
• I can care for myself and give myself the softness I need. I do not have to be a superwoman or a superman. I only have to be myself. — Fibromyalgia
• I recognise my own worth. I can say no to what is not right for me, and yes to what is new. — Allergies

Affirmations for emotions

Every feeling page has an affirmation too. You will find all the feelings on the emotions page.

• I place my attention on trust. What comes can be the best for me, now and ahead. — Anxiety
• I replace fear with trust. I have full power over my life, and I can be guided in what I do and say. — Fear
• I look inside at my reactions, my motives and my attitude. I can learn to relax, and I can also receive what stress has to give. — Stress
• I let the one I love continue on their way. I keep what we shared, and I let life move in me again. — Grief
• I am responsible for my life, and I do not have to be guilty for it. I stop punishing myself, and I take my place. — Guilt
• I am worthy of love as I am. I no longer have to carry this shame, and I let my true self come out. — Shame

If low mood or anxiety has lasted weeks, an affirmation is a small companion, not the whole answer. The pages on depression and anxiety explain when to talk to a doctor.

How to write your own affirmation

Often the best affirmation is your own. A simple way to write one:

1. Start from the page. Read the meaning and questions for your complaint or feeling. Notice which sentence made you stop.
2. Name the old stance. Write it plainly: "I have to manage everything", "If I speak, I'll be rejected".
3. Turn it into a permission. Keep it in the present, in the first person, and in words you would actually use: "I can ask for help", "I am allowed to say no".
4. Keep it short and true. One or two sentences. If it feels like a lie, make it smaller until it doesn't: "I am learning to rest" rather than "I am completely calm".
5. Leave the body out of the promise. Write about how you meet your life, not about what your body must do. "I take my place" is something you can live today. "My skin is clear" is not yours to command, and a sentence that fails each morning only adds pressure.
6. Try it for a week, then adjust. An affirmation is a draft, not a vow.

A gentler way to use this

Use one sentence at a time, the one that moves you, alongside whatever care you are receiving. Notice what it changes in how you speak to yourself.

This guide is for reflection. It does not diagnose or treat any condition, and an affirmation is never a reason to delay seeing a doctor or to stop or change a treatment you have been prescribed. If a symptom is new, severe, getting worse or worrying you, see a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number (999 in the UK). If you are struggling with your mental health or having thoughts of harming yourself, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 at any time.