Why Your Affirmations Aren’t Working and What to Do About It

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Have you been using affirmations but not seeing any results?

If you’ve ever tried using affirmations and thought, “These just don’t work for me,” you’re not alone. It’s a common experience, and the internet is full of reasons why affirmations might not stick. But what if the real problem isn’t any of those things? What if the only reason affirmations don’t work is because we stop too soon?

Let me explain.

Table of Contents

The Real Reason Affirmations Don’t “Work”

Think for a moment about how we form negative beliefs. Most of us didn’t suddenly decide we were unworthy, unlovable or incapable, those ideas took root over time. We learn them. From parents, teachers, media, experiences, repeated over time. Hearing the same things often enough, especially as children and your brain files it away as truth, regardless if it’s actually true or not.

Affirmations work the same way, just in the other direction. You’re not meant to completely believe them right away. In fact it will probably feel completely unnatural to go against your current belief system. But if you persist and repeat them often enough your brain will start to recognise them as familiar and then begin to accept them as true. But most people stop too soon because it feels weird, uncomfortable, or pointless when change doesn’t show up immediately.

Your negative or limiting beliefs didn’t just happen overnight either, they were built up brick by brick, over time. So give yourself some grace and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

So if your affirmations aren’t working, the issue probably isn’t the wording. Or your mindset. Or how you’re saying them.

The real problem?
We give up before they have a chance to take hold.

Why We Stop Repeating Affirmations

Here are some common reasons why people give up on affirmations too soon:

1. They Feel False

Saying “I am confident” when you feel anything but can trigger resistance. It feels fake and your brain pushes back.

But the same thing happens with negative conditioning. You may not have believed the insults or criticisms at first, either. With enough repetition, they still stuck.

It’s normal to feel disconnected from affirmations at first. That’s not a sign they’re not working, it’s a sign you’re challenging an old belief. The discomfort is part of the process.

Even if it feels false, keep going.

2. You Don’t Feel Immediate Results

In today’s world, we’re so used to getting things instantly (The microwave generation) that when something doesn’t happen right away, we assume it’s not working.

Affirmations are slow magic, they rewire thoughts over time, not in one session.

3. You Think You’re Doing It “Wrong”

There’s a lot of advice out there. Use present tense, add emotion, visualise, say them in the mirror. All of these different techniques you can use. These things can help but there’s no one right way to do affirmations, it’s more about what kind of practice works best for you. No matter what way you want to say affirmations, the key ingredient is repetition.

You Don’t Have to Believe Affirmations for Them to Work

This is where there is a lot of confusion and differing opinions on the matter and where people get stuck. People get trapped into thinking they need to believe the affirmation from the start. But you don’t.

You didn’t believe the negative stuff right away, either. You just heard it often enough that it became a part of your internal story.

Affirmations work the same way. Say them often enough, even flatly (robotic affirming), even awkwardly and eventually they’ll stop sounding so foreign to you. Then they’ll start to feel possible. And then they’ll start to feel true.

So What Should You Do When Affirmations Don’t Work?

Keep going.

I think I have driven the point home enough by now but that’s it. Keep repeating them. You can dilute them a bit if you like, so instead of going straight for something you strongly resist like “I am a millionaire,” you can bridge the gap by starting with “I am open to finding new ways of making money.” Just don’t stop altogether.

The only affirmation that doesn’t work is the one you gave up on.

How to Immerse Yourself (So Repetition Sticks)

If the secret is repetition, then the next step is to flood your subconscious with the message. Make it hard to ignore. Here are simple ways to immerse yourself in your affirmations:

1. Speak Them Aloud

First thing in the morning,just before going to sleep and whilst doing mundane chores work best but you can say them anytime. It doesn’t matter how you say them, just whatever feels good to you, it isn’t as important as consistency.

2. Write Them Daily

Use a notebook or affirmation journal (You can check out how to make your own here). Writing by hand gives you more focus and has a more potent effect on learning and memory. Handwriting also engages more areas of the brain and encourages deeper processing of the information, which therefore helps your mind believe these statements quicker.

3. Use Your Phone

I like to set my favourite affirmation as my phone wallpaper as it is something I see all the time. but you can set it as your lock screen or even have a reminder pop up throughout the day.

4. Listen on Repeat

Record yourself saying affirmations or find an audio track that resonates, I have a whole Youtube playlist of affirmation videos you can check out here. Play them while you’re out walking, doing the chores or whenever feels good and you can fit them into your day.

5. Surround Yourself

Stick notes on mirrors, cupboards, your desk. Anywhere that you will see them often. Think visual saturation. You can even make your own vision board and put it on the wall by your bed so it is the first thing you see every morning.

👉 Click here to check out the FREE vision board templates I have available

6. Visualise It

When repeating your affirmations, take a moment to picture them being true. See yourself acting, feeling, or living in alignment with the statement. You can even tap into SATS (State Akin To Sleep), which is a Neville Goddard manifestation technique. You can learn more about how to enter it and use it to manifest your dream life here.

The more techniques you use, visual, audio, written, spoken or any other you can think of, the deeper the you can immerse yourself into this new programming. Just make sure it is easy to maintain regularly and it makes you feel good.

Pair Affirmations With Action

Affirmations are powerful in their own right but they’re not a replacement for doing the thing. Saying “I am confident” is great and all but what small step can you take today to act like someone who is confident? Maybe it’s speaking up in a meeting, making eye contact or wearing something that makes you feel good.

The point isn’t perfection. It’s alignment. When your actions and affirmations align for the same purpose, belief builds faster.

💡 Try this:
Let affirmations guide your actions. Think: “What’s one small thing I can do today that aligns with this?” You may even find that aligned action comes naturally when the consistent use of affirmations starts to rewire your subconcious beliefs.

Why Other Reasons Still Matter (Sort Of)

Things like vague affirmations, emotional disconnect, or poor alignment with your actual goals don’t make affirmations useless. But they do make it easier to quit. So it’s worth checking in with questions like:

  • Am I actually repeating them consistently?
  • Do they feel connected to what I really want?
  • Could I change the wording to feel more natural or personal?

These things don’t make affirmations work, they just make you more likely to persist.

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Keep going

So if your affirmations don’t seem to be working yet, the good news is that it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means you’re still in the process. And maybe you just need to keep going.

You don’t have to believe it yet. You just have to keep saying it.

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