TLDR: Positive affirmations may sound corny, but they work. These statements from a mindfulness expert can help you boost your mental health while you’re trying to conceive, quiet negative thoughts, and focus on accepting and embracing your unique journey.
Affirmations can be a beneficial addition to any meditation practice. Whether you use them while journaling, repeat them in a self-guided private practice, or join an expert-led experience, many people find that affirmations are versatile and customizable. Most importantly, they’re effective. When you’re trying to conceive, fertility affirmations can help calm stress and possibly give you the mental health boost you need during the journey.
What Is an Affirmation?
An affirmation is a positive statement that you repeat to yourself in order to build feelings of confidence, self-worth, and belief in your personal abilities—while also quelling negative thoughts and self-doubt. When it comes to conception, pregnancy, and motherhood, affirmations are often used to defuse negative feelings of guilt, fear, blame, resentment, and any other complex emotions that come with the parenting journey.
You can also use them to foster positive feelings throughout your experience, build confidence in mothering, ease into the unknown, and establish trust in your conception journey. In fact, research shows that stress can impact fertility, so if developing a mindfulness practice based on a set of affirmations helps you decrease these negative emotions, you’re setting yourself up for success.
How to Use Affirmations
Just like other mindfulness practices, there really is no wrong way to use an affirmation. Whether you write it, say it out loud, or think it, the most important aspect of affirmations is believing the statement.
According to Oge Onye, a birth worker and mindfulness artist, “Affirmations are most effective when they’re more personal and when you continue to believe them, but also when you say them in a space of stillness, calmness, and groundedness. So if you’re stressed or fearful and you’re saying these affirmations, it’s not necessarily matching up to how you’re actually feeling. So it’s the feeling matched with the words that really take hold and soothe not only your fears, but your anxieties, and really seep into your consciousness.”
Experiment with the way you use affirmations to figure out what works best for you. But keep in mind the two elements that seem to create the most effective practice are self-belief and stillness. Beginning your meditative moment with a breathing exercise or guided body scan may help you reach a point of flow where your affirmations can benefit you the most.
Another tip that Onye shares is to make these affirmations your own. Play with the wording, see what feels right, and make it about your particular situation. These are not prescriptive affirmations; these are foundational statements that you can make even more effective with your personalized touch.
Fertility Affirmations By Topic
Below Onye walks us through several focused meditations that concentrate on the many feelings, reactions, and emotions that come and go (or come and stay) during the trying-to-conceive process. She has thoughtfully paired multiple affirmations for each focus, allowing you to explore all sides of your emotional journey. Here are her affirmation suggestions for specific feelings in your pregnancy journey:
Self-worth
This set of affirmations focuses on confidence, positivity, and self-worth. This time can be an uphill emotional battle for some, so take it slow, breathe, and try your best to believe the sentiments.
I am worthy of a baby. I free myself of doubt. My body is a fertile place.
Forgiveness
The first thing to do when you’re thinking about forgiveness is ask yourself what you’ve been holding onto. What are you blaming yourself for? Give yourself the chance to deeply reflect, as it might not have anything to do with trying to conceive a child, but the anxiety could be holding you back from living in the moment and accepting your worthiness. You are worthy of a baby, and this is your moment to believe it.
I forgive myself. I love myself. I am capable, and I am worthy.
Accepting results
Whether you’re in the waiting phase or dealing with the results of a previous cycle, it can be hard to accept and embrace the journey. With these affirmations, you have a safe space to respect exactly where you are in your process and to affirm your own ability to achieve pregnancy.
I accept whatever arises without judgment. I embrace whatever arises with unconditional love. I trust the process. I am abundantly fertile and I am worthy for this.
Resisting comparison
In your trying-to-conceive journey, self-comparison is a beast. “Why was it so easy for them?” “What have I done differently than them?” “Is there something wrong with me?” You’ve heard it before, but let us tell you again: your journey is your own. You are unique and deserving. Rid yourself of resentment, jealousy, or outright confusion with these affirmations focused on trusting the process and honoring the strength of your mind and body.
I love and I trust my own unique journey. I release the past and accept whatever the future holds.
Welcoming fertility
Visualize the future of your pregnancy, and manifest your deepest desires. No matter how long you’ve been trying—one month, two years, or longer—you can always open the door to a little more self-love. You are strong and able. Practice that belief with these affirmations.
I am fertile. My body is able to carry a healthy pregnancy. My pregnancy will be surrounded and filled with love.
