How Long Does It Take For Affirmations To Work (In 2023)


Before you start to use affirmations you might want to know how long does it take for affirmations to work or you might have been using affirmations for a while but you aren’t noticing the results you desire. Therefore, it’s important to know how long do affirmations take to work.

The subconscious mind responds favourably to positive affirmation, especially if you desire to reprogram it towards a mindset shift or break a poor habit. When used correctly, positive affirmations profoundly influence your mindset, which can increase your motivation, energy, and enthusiasm towards achieving goals or breaking negative habits. 

How Long Does it Take for Affirmations to Work

On average, it takes affirmations 22 days to work. However, it could take up to 66 days or longer to reach their full benefits. To reduce the time frame, listen to affirmations throughout sleep using audio. It influences your subconscious mind faster and speeds up the likelihood of your affirmations working.

The following article will examine why it takes between 22 – 66 days or longer for your affirmation to begin reprogramming your subconscious mind. I will give you some tips on how to speed up your affirmations to work faster and bring you the success you desire.

Exactly How Long Do Affirmations Take to Work?

You can expect to notice some dramatic differences in your mood, motivation and enthusiasm if you consistently apply positive affirmations every night for 22 days.

However, it can take up to 66 days or longer to witness an impact on your mindset and goals. The subconscious mind is the reason why it requires time for your affirmations to have an effect. Our subconscious mind dominates 95% of our life and is responsible for habits, beliefs, rituals, emotions and thoughts.

The subconscious mind is formed from birth up to the age of 7 to 9 and starts to solidify until we reach the age of 31. Over these years the subconscious hardens like stone and becomes difficult to break. Consequently, the information that entered our subconscious mind when we were children still influences our decision today.

Therefore, the older you are, the longer it could take to reprogram your subconscious mind with your affirmations. The subconscious mind is stubborn and is highly resistant to change. It likes to control your entire life and feels comfortable with the same routine.

When you start to exercise affirmations, it places barriers and obstacles in your way. The subconscious mind refuses to listen and accept the affirmations you impress onto it. Depending on your ages determines how long your subconscious mind can resist the positive affirmations.

The theory suggests the younger the subconscious mind, the more flexible and compliant it will be to accepting the affirmations. Unfortunately, the older you are, the more resistant and rebellious the subconscious mind will become. However, there are other factors that can generate subconscious resistances. 

How Long Do Affirmations Take To Work – 3 Simple Improvements To Make Your Affirmation Work

When Should I Use My Affirmations

Use affirmations at your own convenience. If you wake up early, use them first thing in the morning. If you go to bed late, use the last thing before bed. The most important thing is your use when you can concentrate on the affirmations and relax. Personally, I prefer to write my affirmation before sleep at night as it’s a tranquil time.

Similarly, you can also try meditating, adding some candles, incense and relaxing music to help you focus on yourself. Sit down in a quiet place where no one will bother you. Keep your back straight and close your eyes. Breath deeply so that you can relax yourself quickly, then try to keep up this feeling of relaxation as long as you can. 

When thoughts start popping into your mind, don’t be discouraged or irritated by it, just think “Oh well.” and dismiss the idea without thinking about it too much. The goal is to focus on your thoughts for as long as you can without getting too distracted.

After a few minutes, start repeating positive affirmations in your head, such as “I am beautiful” or “I will succeed“. When you feel confident, go ahead and say those affirmations out loud. Keep going until your confidence starts building even further.

How Long Should I Write My Affirmations For?

The proper length of your affirmation depends on your goal. If you are writing short affirmations, try to have each sentence begin with the same word, so they flow together. Don’t forget to use all five senses when creating long affirmations. 

Have you wonder if you can type your affirmations on your phone or a keyboard instead of handwriting them? Does it work the same? Find out.

However, it would help if you remembered that what you write is for yourself and only yourself; no one will read your affirmations. If you’re writing affirmations for a job position, keep them under 20 sentences. This way, your mind can remember what you want to achieve and will start working towards that goal without being overwhelmed with information. 

You can write as many as 50 sentences if needed, but it’s best not to make an affirmation longer than one paragraph. If you’re writing affirmations for a relationship, keep them under 10 sentences. You can write as many as 15 or 20 if you feel the need to.

  • Short Affirmations: (5-20 Sentences)
  • Long Affirmations: (1-2 paragraphs)

Affirmations for a Job Position: (up to 20 Sentences) E.g. I am now working at _________ as the most qualified candidate with many years of experience.

The rule of 17 states that it should take you 17 seconds minimum to write out your whole affirmation sentence. Abraham Hicks called this the ignition point, and it’s significant for a manifestation and the law of attraction. To find out more about the rule of 17, read this article.

3 Factors Preventing Your Affirmations From Working

1. Your Positivity and Belief for Change

If you’re already a positive person full of joy and excitement, then it won’t take long for your affirmations to work. Furthermore, if you believe that a transformation is possible and ignore the fears, worries, and doubts your subconscious mind produces, you can quickly achieve affirmation success. The subconscious mind was previously programmed for success, you are merely accelerating the process.

2. Previous Affirmation Experience 

If you have practised affirmation in the past, regardless of whether you found success, will impact your outcomes. The subconscious mind has the memory capability to remember every piece of information you have stored within it. Therefore, your subconscious has the experience to understand and accept the affirmation from previous experience.  

3. Desires for Personal Development and Transformation

The one ingredient that will overcome a subconscious barrier or challenge is your desire. If you have a genuine passion for personal development in your life, then your subconscious mind will surrender to your desire. It’s crucial you keep the desire burning because the subconscious mind will fight against it, and if you quiver with fear, it will reject your affirmations. 

How to Make Your Affirmations Work Faster

1. Listen Before and During Sleep

The best time to use affirmation is before sleep because your brain naturally releases chemicals to slow down your brain activity. Here’s the full article that explains why using affirmations before sleep works best.

You drop from alpha into a theta brain state. It’s understood that when your brain is in a theta brain state, your subconscious mind is open and listening, making it easier to reprogram. Your body and mind are in a very relaxed position. Therefore, your conscious mind is switched off, and you won’t analysis the information absorbed into our mind. 

2. Find Affirmations in Harmony with Your Goals

Only use affirmations that are in direct harmony with the goals your desire to achieve. If you want to reprogram your subconscious mind to create more wealth, only listen to affirmation surrounding money, wealth and abundance.

If you utilise affirmations that conflict with your goals, then it leads to more resistance from your mind and the affirmations won’t work. You can listen to multiple affirmations together, but they must be within the same category. 

3. Discover Good Quality Affirmation with Binaural Beats

Affirmations need to work in harmony with your brain waves and frequencies. If you can utilise affirmation that use binaural beats in a theta or delta brain wave, you will benefit from these types of affirmations. The natural slowing down of the mind in conjunction with the binaural beats means you will absorb a considerable amount of the affirmations resulting in a quicker outcome. 

Furthermore, listen to sounds in the 432hz frequency also help your affirmations work better. To discover the full benefits of 432hz and why you should use this frequency read this post.

4. Repeatedly Write Your Affirmations for 10 Minutes

If writing your affirmations is your preferred option, make sure you repeatedly write the same affirmations for at least 10 minutes. Don’t rush the process, enjoy and appreciate each letter and word as you write it.

The more emotion you can connect to your affirmation, the deeper its placed inside your subconscious mind. Write in a journal or note pad so you can review your affirmations when you feel less motivated. You want to repeat the same affirmations and not use too many at once. A good rule is a maximum of 15. 

5. Remain Consistent with Affirmations 

The key to reprogramming your subconscious mind is repetition and consistency. Your affirmation will work best when you can consistently practice them every night.

Think about it like fishing and each time you use affirmations, you are reeling in the fish, but when you neglect the practice, the fish swims away. If you stop and start your affirmation routine might never receive the results you were searching for.  

Does Listening To Affirmations While Sleeping Work

Scientific evidence is somewhat hard to come by when it comes to affirmations, but it may be helpful for some people. Many people find that they work best when repeated often and at the moment, while others find that affirmations are most potent when spoken at night before bed.

Sleep has been proven to help with memory retention and learning, and it may be extra helpful for absorbing positive messages. Affirmations are also a great way to start or end the day and help prepare you for success by reinforcing desired attitudes and behaviours before taking on challenges.

There is little scientific evidence to support affirmations when repeated at night before bed, but they may be most beneficial for some people. Read this article that takes deep dive into the psychology of sleep and affirmations.

How Long Do Affirmations Take To Work Summary

I hope you benefited from my article on how long affirmations take to work and I explained the reason why it takes around 22 days. But I have known many people receive results a lot faster. You have multiple ways to use affirmations from listening, speaking, writing and thinking. Whatever method you use just be consistent and keep a positive mindset.

David Curran

Hi I'm David Curran, I'm passionate about learning everything I can about our minds' power and how we can transform our thoughts, happiness, and results. I believe everything we require to become happy and successful already exits within us. We just need a little help to discover it. This website is where I share everything I learn and practice to transform every aspect of my life.

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