affirmation cards

My dear reader, this mindfulness exercise might grab you if you are keen on some positive affirmations, perhaps you have a couple of them written down already. Or you have a couple of power mantras that you use to elevate yourself. 

You might enjoy this if you are naturally drawn to mindfulness art exercises and you would like to do something different than your usual colouring in. 

The method is quite simple, and I’ll explain it in a moment, but first let’s take a few things into consideration, the benefits of using positive affirmations on our mental and emotional health. 

And there are many, so here are just a few. 

Positive affirmations nurture the inner voice. They help us with emotional regulation, and they foster a generally more positive and hopeful outlook on life. They can help us rewire our brain, so to speak, and establish new ways of thinking and talking to ourselves, when used persistently for longer periods of time. 

And the process of making them also has added benefits. Apart from the obvious, that we are engaging in a creative and expressive mindfulness art exercise, we are also slowing down our breathing, we are being present in the moment and we are off our screens. 

If you feel that this is for you, then here is how you do it. 

Decide on the size of your cards. Would you like them to fit into your pocket? Would you like them playing card or oracle card size? The choice is yours. Mine are all cut to 12.5 x 9 cm with rounded corners. I chose 300 gsm thickness for my cardstock, this is the standard for premium business cards and playing cards. 

Now here comes the fun part, choose or create an affirmation that you would like to start with and write it on one side. Then think of a symbol, a sign, a creative expression that reminds you of the affirmation you just wrote down. 

For example: “I am loved and lovable.” is your affirmation, so you can draw a heart or heart with wings, or something similar that reminds you of love. This is a very basic example, I know. So let me give you a few more ideas. 

“I am always at the right place, at the right time.” is one of my affirmations, and I drew a clock once and another time I made a version with an hourglass. 

“I live in a friendly universe” is another affirmation I use, and I drew a hamsa (an ancient Middle Eastern, palm-shaped amulet symbolizing the "Hand of God", widely used for protection against the evil eye, bad luck, and negative energy)

Or “I am blessed and I am a blessing to others.” , and I drew a hand with rays of light, like sunrays radiating outwards. 

And as for the medium, I find colour pencils and markers to work best. I often pre-draw with a mechanical led pencil, then outline with a marker and finally colour in. That’s just my method. It helps me make adjustments or restart the drawing if I need to, and outlining makes the design pop. But that’s not the only method that works, so get creative.

I hope you get inspired and create your own set. It is a well worthwhile mindfulness art exercise that keeps on giving. 

For more pictures click here:  @eszterwittich