Selfia Guides

Practical guides to positive affirmations, gratitude, meditation and breathing. Each one answers the question first, separates what studies show from what they don’t, cites its sources, and ends with examples you can try the same day.

Understanding and writing affirmations

What affirmations are, what research really says about them, and how to write sentences you can believe.

• Do positive affirmations work?Meaning, history, the studies, a 6-step method and examples for every situation.
• How to write affirmationsThe rules, bridge statements, a fill-in template and 20 before-and-after examples.
• The Coué methodÉmile Coué’s original formula, how he said to practice it, and what’s left of it today.
• Law of attraction affirmationsWhat science says about positive thinking, the WOOP method and action-focused affirmations.
• Affirmations for kidsSimple, believable phrases by age and by moment of the day.

Everyday practices

Short, realistic routines that fit into a real day.

• Gratitude journal promptsA simple method, sample entries and 50 prompts to get you writing.
• Morning routineA realistic plan in 5, 10 or 20 minutes.
• Meditation for beginnersHow to start, what to expect and a 7-day plan.

Breathing

Guided breathing exercises on screen, with the rhythm to follow and what studies say about them.

• Breathing exercisesAll the guided exercises: coherent breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, box breathing and more.
• Coherent breathingBreathe in for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds: the guided exercise, step by step.

Affirmations by topic

To go from reading to practice, each topic has its own page of believable affirmations from Selfia.

• Self-confidenceMoving forward with the doubt instead of waiting for it to leave.
• AnxietySentences to slow down when your thoughts start racing.
• Morning affirmationsOne line to start the day without forcing it.
• Affirmations for sleepSetting the day down before you turn off the light.
• Self-loveTreating yourself the way you’d treat a friend.
• Short affirmationsLines you can take in at a glance.
• MoneySeparating your bank balance from your worth, and taking action.
• SuccessSentences focused on the next step.

How these guides are written

Every guide relies on sources we checked one by one (scientific papers, original books, library records) and lists them at the end of the page with a link. When a study is small, isolated or contradicted by another, we say so. No guide promises to cure anything: affirmations, meditation and breathing can support you, but they don’t replace a doctor or a therapist. The example sentences come from Selfia, the affirmations app behind this site, free on Android.