
Every rheumatoid arthritis patient will fight negative thoughts at one point or another. Heck! You might even fight it every day. When I walk up to you and say, “You should try some positive affirmations,” you might just want to punch me in the face.
No one wants to be told they are battling negative thoughts because they don’t say ‘positive’ things as much as they should. Feeling pain or tired of pain cannot be because you don’t say positive things enough, but these positive affirmations will help you let go of the negative feelings and focus on something beyond that feeling.
In a nutshell, you should try some positive affirmations, but I’m saying it from a perspective of understanding and experience. Feelings of negativity are not because you don’t say positive things enough, but saying positive things to yourself will help you reduce the frequency of these thoughts and get through them without falling into depression.
It’s okay to want to cry at times, but what matters is that you get up, and that is what makes you a warrior.
Impact of negative thoughts on health.
It might be surprising to hear, but negative thoughts in your mind can directly or indirectly affect your health, and this can come in several ways.
Some impacts of negative thoughts on your health include:
- Negative thoughts can stop your brain from functioning at its highest capacity, especially when coupled with stress.
- Negative thoughts trigger inflammation in the body.
- Negative thoughts lead to more negative thoughts because it opens up neural paths in your brain that support more negative thoughts.
- They make you feel more fatigued and stressed.
- They lower your immunity and increase the risk factors of chronic diseases, like coronary heart disease and stress-related diseases.
What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations are positive words you say to yourself to help fight negative thoughts and words. They help to give you a mindset shift and condition your mind to positivity.
A mindset shift will not happen overnight, so you must give yourself time to adjust and keep being consistent with what you do.

Elements of good positive affirmations
For a positive affirmation to be excellent and effective, there are some things it needs to have, and these are:
- Believable: Let it be believable first and, most importantly, to yourself.
- Realistic: Let it be realistic and not more of a fantasy. Affirmations are from a place of understanding and confidence; if it is not real, you won’t be confident saying it.
- Practical: Let your affirmations be practical, especially when it has to do with your daily actions and expectations.
- Easy to remember: Make it easy, especially when you don’t want to remember.
- Personal: Use affirmations that speak close to home, like something that dispels an insecure thought you often have or counters some words that others have told you, including yourself.
- Comforting: Let the affirmations you use be like a warm, heated hug to your mind and heart.
- No pressure: Do not say a positive affirmation that puts you under any form of pressure either to overdo or otherwise.
Positive affirmations for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients
Here are some affirmations you can use when next you have to deal with negativities:
- I am enough.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (your diagnosis) does not have me; I am in control.
- My body radiates beauty from within.
- I am healed.
- I am strong.
- I am healthy.
- I am resilient.
- I am a warrior.
- I can do this!
- I have something to smile about.
- I am my most beautiful.
- I am grateful for what my body can do.
- I am going to do the best that I can.
- I set my standards.
- I am my definition of perfection.
- I have what it takes!
- I have what I need!
- I compete with myself alone; It’s me versus me, and I am winning!
- I do not care if someone else is doing better than me.
- I can be challenged, but I refuse to be intimidated!
- I understand the value of self-reflection, which helps me better understand myself.
- I am happy with what my disease has taught me.
- I listen to my body and learn from the pain.
- I commit myself to knowledge and action.
- I can do anything I put my mind to.
- My body listens to me!
- I am the strongest I have ever been.
- My illness does not define my productivity, and I choose to be grateful for the little joys.
- Every day, I have another chance to be grateful for yesterday, and I’ll do that to the fullest.
- God is in me, so I cannot be limited.
- I am resilient and I have everything I need to manage my chronic illness.
- I understand the value of self-reflection and it helps me understand myself better.
- Today I choose to listen. I listen to my body so that I can learn from my pain.
- I choose gratitude today. I give thanks to what my disease has taught me.
- I release feelings of pain and discomfort from my body when I put my mind to it.
- I am proud of myself for getting through this day.
- My energy level is a bit low now, but tomorrow is a new day!
- Despite how I feel, I know that this situation is only temporary.
- Even when I am busy, I will make time to stop, look around me, practice gratitude and breathe!
- I am trusting the journey.
- I am trusting the process.
- I am safe and surrounded by support.
- I have an amazing community that supports me on the good days and challenging days.
- I wake up stronger each morning.
- I am honoring my body’s need for rest.
- I am releasing tension in my body and mind.
- I am healthy and filled with joy!
- Today I will not become frustrated with things that are beyond my control.
- I am more concerned with my long-term happiness than fleeting unhealthy pleasures.
- I feel more healthier and more fit every day.
- I appreciate healing and health so much more because of what I have been through.
- Sleep and rest are necessary for my health.
- I set boundaries with others for my mental well-being.
- My chronic condition does not define me.
- Today I will recognize my strengths and praise myself for what I accomplish.
- Today I will choose one small thing from my to-do list to practice consistently every day.
- I will be grateful for all the things that have gone right today regardless of how my body feels.
- I choose happiness today!
- I release things that disturb my peace. I will continue to release stress as it comes.
- I confront illness with visions of wellness and trust that everything will be alright.
- I am fueling my body in a sustainable way.
- I have all the resources I need to keep my body healthy.
- I release self-doubt and negative self-talk.
- I have abilities that no one else has and I will use them to make the world a better place.
- I nourish my body and healthy foods.
- I am allowed to take the time to heal.
- I am beautifully and wonderfully made!
- My body is a vessel for my awesomeness!
- I can do amazing things thanks to my mind and body.
- I am amazed at my body’s ability to keep going.
- My body is a holy temple.
- God gives me the strength I need each day.
- I have faith in God’s plan for me.
- I will be strong and steadfast in my faith.
- God has given me everything I need to live in the way He wants me to live.
- God is my healer.
- I choose faith over fear!
- Today I leave old unhealthy habits in the dust where they belong.
- I am the source of my own motivation.
- I am only in competition with who I was yesterday.
- I am attracting positive results and abundant wins.
- I am completely inspired to be the very best I can be!
- I am not my pain.
- Just because I’m in pain now, doesn’t mean I’ll be in pain forever. Better days are coming!
- I can create the body I want.
- I am grateful that my body is telling me what it wants. I am open and ready to listen.
- I am healthy, strong and able!
- I feel the pain leaving my body every time I exhale.
- I can get through anything!
- I give myself permission to let go of all the negative weight.
- I am not limited by my chronic pain.
- I choose to love my pain now because I know love is more powerful and will help my body heal.
- What I’m going through is a learning experience.
- I am completely in tune with my body.
- I eat a healthy and balanced diet that supports my wellbeing.
- I choose peace and happiness everyday, regardless of how much pain I feel.
- Movement is medicine for my body.
- Motion is lotion for my joints.
- I make time for self-care.
- I respect the benefits of a good night’s sleep.
- I am not alone. I am surrounded by people who want to help.
- I give myself permission to speak about how I’m feeling.
- I wake up stronger every day.
- I’m grateful for healing.
- Today I will allow myself to feel.
- Today I will be kind to myself and not push myself past my limits.
- I have RA but RA does not have me!
- I am worthy!
- I am resilient!
- I am a WARRIOR!
Final Thoughts
These positive affirmations are very close to my heart, and there are some I constantly repeat that it has become something of a mantra to me. When you continuously repeat these words to yourself, it will create a subconscious awareness in you that is more like an immune response.
What happens is that the next time you have these negative thoughts, your subconscious mind that these positive affirmations have conditioned, will start fighting these thoughts for you. Just like taking drugs, sometimes, your immune response might need help from you, and this is when you become deliberate and run to your journal or your wall of affirmations and repeat these words out loud to help your mind overcome negative thoughts and emotions.
Get yourself up, warrior; you’ve got this.
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READ ALSO: Best tips for living with rheumatoid arthritis | healthiest habits
I love the explanation of what really makes up a positive affirmation suited and customized for you.
Hi Casey! It’s great to know that you appreciate the explanation of why affirmations are needed. They really and truly help when they are custom to our situations. Thank you for sharing!
Sitting at the rheumatologist’s office right now and I just wanna cry with all these affirmations. Collecting myself before she walks in but thank you Ashley! Da bomb dot calm. Hugs & love my RA sister
Awww Sherry!! I’m so glad these affirmations blessed you!! Sending you hugs, love and prayers my sister! Keep rising up, Warrior!