If you’ve ever trusted in the power of a good strong drink to get you to sleep, I have something else for you to try tonight.

Words carry energy — the kind that either keeps you up spinning your wheels, or helps you sleep like a rock.

When you’re ready to turn in for the night, try one of these nighttime affirmations. They're the helpful kind of words... inspired by my book, Sleep Affirmations...

Which, if you haven't gotten it yet, do that! I love hearing about how good people sleep once they start reading it.

Before you do, here’s some advice on how to get them to work for you:

1. Print or handwrite the affirmation. Nothing compares to reading from paper, especially at night. If you’re reading from your phone, at least turn on night shift so the blue glare doesn’t trick your brain into staying awake (yeah, it does that… so rude).
2. Read one affirmation per night. Read each one in sequence or the same one multiple nights in a row. Read it out loud or not. Turn it into a ritual. Doing the same things each night trains your brain (and body) when it’s time for bed.
3. Read slowwwwly. Do NOT rush through the sentences. Be mindful about this. Spend at least a few minutes with the affirmation, reading through it as many times as you like.
4. Focus on how it feels. Make this a meditation. Sense the imagery, the sentiments, the energy held in the words. Close your eyes, visualize and feel what the affirmation means to you right now.
5. Use it like a mantra as you’re falling asleep. If you’ve still got a million things running through your mind come bedtime, come back to your favorite phrase or word. In your mind, focus on it to clear away distractions. Keep doing that as many times as you need to. No judgment, it’s all practice.

Speaking of meditating your way to sleep, check out my first guided meditation collaboration called Belonging. It's so relaxing, full of imagery and ends with special affirmations I haven't shared anywhere else. Even I use it!

Now get your pen or printer ready. No stiff nightcap needed… well, unless you want to… that’s your call and none of my business. :)

And if you're not sleeping well most nights, get my book Sleep Affirmations. You'll love it, too!

3 Nighttime Affirmations to Turn Stress into Sweet Dreams

1. All I have to do is breathe and be.

The night comes like an exhale, a ready and willing release. As if the day was a great inhale, now I sigh with relief. In the quiet rhythms that come, I find something reserved just for me: freedom from the day and an endless supply of peace. There’s space here, room to breathe and permission to just be.

2. The most important thing I can do is rest.

The day tells me to build and bend. The night tells me to let everything soften. I sink into the flow of life. A wave of peace washes over me. From this moment till tomorrow morning, my mission is to rest… and trust in the process of my life.

I'm in the right place. I’m held in the night, safe here, resting in the flow of silence and grace.

3. Love is my nature.

Love is sketched into every stone, written in my heart, leaving nothing to brave the night on its own. It traces from one star to the next — a constellation across the sky.

Love knows no distance, no reason to keep score and no season that’s not worth living for.

Love is my inheritance, my strength. The lights in the sky remind me of my divine heritage. In my mind I see them, reflecting the light that’s also inside of me.

. . .

Tell me:

Which of these affirmations (or any part of them) is your favorite?

Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I’d love to know!

Love,

Jen

OH! Want 197 more affirmations like this? Get my book Sleep Affirmations: 200 Phrases for a Deep and Peaceful Sleep. One reader said it’s “better than a nightcap.” Love that.