TL;DR: Last year, stress and internal conflicts led me to struggle with mental health issues and prompted me to seek therapy. During that time, I discovered that affirmations really worked for me—but the daily ritual of drawing a card and journaling felt a bit cumbersome. So I created an app for affirmations: StrongMe.
My Journey to Therapy
To capture and share my experience with therapy, I teamed up with AI to take a personality test. According to the AI’s summary, my character flaws were described as follows:
“You are sensitive at heart, a perfectionist, and prone to self-sabotage. You often suppress your true needs, masking them with indifferent attitudes in fear that your desires might be dismissed by others. When faced with choices, you overthink and end up delaying action, then spiral into self-blame after rejecting others. Your high sensitivity drives you to overanalyze details and prepare for crises that may never come. The cycle of perfectionism and anxiety is self-reinforcing—striving for the absolute best solution until you’re mentally and physically drained, sometimes even resorting to physical manifestations of stress like skin picking. Although these traits shape your mindset, you’ve come to realize that instead of forcing change, it might be better to learn to live with these parts of yourself and achieve balance through self-acceptance.”
There was a period last year when the pressures of work and life piled up, and with my tendency toward internal strife, I was on the verge of breaking down. I felt overwhelmed by an endless to-do list, didn’t know where to start, and suffered from sleepless nights, constant daydreaming, and anxiety that even interfered with my work.
My wife constantly comforted and encouraged me, and I’m deeply grateful to her. One day, she gently brought up something she’d likely been holding back for a long time: “Maybe you should try seeing a therapist.” At first I resisted, but with her patient persuasion and a balanced discussion of pros and cons, I eventually agreed that I couldn’t let myself collapse without taking action. That weekend, we visited a therapist for my very first consultation. With gentle guidance, she helped me open up about all my troubles, diving into my history and family background. It was the first time I had ever bared so much of my privacy to a stranger—and I felt an incredible sense of relief after that conversation. She told me that my issues weren’t abnormal but rather the result of overwhelming stress and unrealistic expectations; what I really needed was to learn how to release stress and come to terms with myself.
Rather than immediate intensive therapy, she ended our session by handing me a box of cards with a simple instruction: Every morning, draw one card as soon as you wake up, memorize the affirmation on it, and then take an action or make a decision following its prompt during the day. I was also asked to keep a journal to record what I did that day. Back home, I opened the box and saw those motivational phrases on each card. I was skeptical at first—even questioning the therapist’s approach—though I would later realize that this very first session was the best form of treatment I could have received.
My First Encounter with Affirmation Cards
Thankfully, even though I was still a bit doubtful, I decided to give her method a try. I kept the cards on my bedside table so that starting the next day, the first thing I did each morning was to draw a card and recite its words until they were memorized. Throughout the day, I’d ponder what decision or action would align with the card’s message, and by nightfall I would jot down everything I had done or decided (I hadn’t kept a diary like that since elementary school!). Yet, a problem quickly emerged: my main worry became “What exactly should I do or decide to fulfil this card’s prompt?”
A week later, during my second session, the therapist introduced me to hypnosis and taught me meditation. I had heard about meditation before but never practiced it. That session was incredibly soothing, and I’ve since incorporated meditation into my routine (if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot). When she asked for feedback about the card ritual, I poured out my concerns. She laughed and said I didn’t have to force myself into performing a specific action or decision; simply taking a moment of reflection was enough. If there truly wasn’t anything to do or ponder on that day, then it was fine to take it easy—the key was not to let the ritual of drawing a card become a new source of stress. The affirmation should serve as a motivator, not a whip.
Her guidance made the process much more relaxed. I stopped fixating on having to do something specific every day or even forcing myself to write in a diary. Things became more spontaneous (and, in truth, there were only a few days where I truly “took it easy”). I even found that I’d sometimes forget the words on the card I drew that morning, only to rediscover them later upon getting home. Ultimately, the prompts provided the muscle and confidence I needed, allowing me to calmly assess my challenges. I came to realize that whether I adopted an active or passive stance, I had to face my issues head on. While I couldn’t solve everything at once, as long as I focused on doing what needed to be done today, step by step, eventually there would be a breakthrough.
How Affirmation Cards Changed Me
After one session, I shared my progress with my therapist. Impressed by my rapid improvement, she explained that the cards were called “affirmation cards”—designed to encourage self-validation and acceptance. She even gave me another deck and a link to purchase my own affirmation cards whenever needed. I delved into researching these cards further and ended up buying several decks. I went beyond just drawing one card a day; I started carrying them in my pocket so I could pull one whenever I felt down. Every time I used a card, I felt reinvigorated—these affirmation cards became my pocket-sized energy boost!
After a few weeks, I could truly feel the transformative impact the cards were having on me. I began letting go of things I once deemed overly important and finally understood what my therapist meant when she said, “Desire is the root of suffering.” I stopped obsessing over unchangeable facts and learned not to be too hard on myself. Instead, I embraced my imperfections and focused on the present. While I’m still grappling with anxiety, I’ve learned how to manage its intensity and duration.
The Limitations of Physical Cards – The Birth of StrongMe
I eventually reached a state of relative calm, and my life started to become more organized. I even found more time to meditate and reflect. Yet, some persistent issues with using physical cards kept bugging me:
- At work I had to sneak a card away from prying eyes (I was worried about my image if colleagues saw me using them).
- I had to carry two pockets—one for cards that hadn’t been used yet and one for those that had—and I couldn’t bring too many cards with me.
- My collection of cards kept growing.
- Sometimes my worries and the card’s prompt didn’t match at all.
- My diary would fill up quickly.
- Every time I wanted to share a card with my wife, I had to take a photo, which was pretty tedious.
That got me thinking: Wasn’t there an app that could let me draw cards on my phone or computer? I started scouring the app stores and tried out nearly every available app. Most of them just pushed a barrage of affirmations—dozens each day—without letting me choose the type I really wanted, and they didn’t offer any journaling functionality. I ended up juggling a separate diary app alongside the affirmation app. Not satisfied with any of these options, I thought, “I’m a developer—why not create my own?” I shared the idea with my therapist, and she was enthusiastic, even promising to recommend it once it was ready.
So began my deep dive into the world of affirmation cards. I carefully examined both physical decks and existing apps, taking note of their pros and cons, and then designed and built an application in my own way. My therapist even joked that I’d become more knowledgeable about affirmation cards than she was—and that I was always keen to share my journey with others.
And that’s how StrongMe was born. Over the course of six months in my spare time, I developed a web-based app (I’m a web developer, after all). While the web experience isn’t quite as smooth as a native app, it has solved all the issues I mentioned. Perhaps you’ve already noticed that the name “StrongMe” itself is a short affirmation. Plus, I crafted a slogan for it:
StrongMe – Discovery My Strongest Self
I hope you and I both can rediscover our most empowered selves!
How to Use StrongMe
Step 1: Draw a Card
Click on the “Draw Today’s Card” button. In the pop-up window, choose the type of card you’d like to draw. Once you’ve drawn a card, if the affirmation doesn’t quite resonate with you, feel free to refresh for a new one.
Step 2: Act on the Card’s Prompt
Based on the card’s message, perform a small task, make a minor decision, or strengthen a belief—take a moment today to reflect and act according to the prompt.
Step 3: Journal Your Experience
Record your thoughts, realizations, actions, or anything else you find noteworthy in the space below the card—as if writing a diary entry. Each card gets its own journal page.
Step 4: Share with Family and Friends
With just one click, generate an image of your card and share it with family or friends. Discuss what the affirmation means to you and how you’re putting its message into practice today. You can even share the card right after drawing it and chat about your plans to act on its prompt.
Step 5: Regularly Review and Reflect
Our understanding of life and ourselves changes over time. Regularly look back at past cards and journal entries to recall your state of mind and consider how you might react differently today.
Standout Features of StrongMe
With StrongMe, you can draw a card anytime, anywhere—to boost your motivation, confidence, and to record your evolving mindset. Beyond the core functions described above, StrongMe also offers these unique features:
- Draw by Category: Choose from different types of cards and even draw multiple cards a day.
- Varied Themes: Every card comes with a randomly selected, beautifully designed theme.
- Refresh Affirmations: Not every card will strike a chord. Simply refresh for another affirmation until you find one that fits.
- Copy Affirmations: Want to share that perfect phrase on social media? Easily copy the text.
- Favorite Cards: Save the cards you love the most.
- Shareable Cards: Customize the style and content of your card, then generate a stunning image to share with loved ones or on your social platforms.
- Affirmation Journal: Edit your journal entries anytime during the day—with options to upload photos, tag locations, record the weather, and more.
What About a Native App?
I plan to continue optimizing the web version since I’m a heavy user myself. However, I’m not yet sure whether a native app is worth pursuing—I’m not certain if there’s enough interest to justify it. So if you enjoy using StrongMe, please let me know! And if you have any suggestions for improvement, drop me a line. I’ve built in a feedback feature—just click on your avatar in the top-right corner to access the menu.
Am I Fine and Don’t Need Affirmations?
Absolutely not! Even the strongest among us have our vulnerable moments. Affirmation cards can help pull you out of those dark times quickly. Even if you’re as tough as iron, you can still use them to find courage, make decisions, or simply remind yourself to enjoy the moment. In my research on affirmation cards, I found that many people use them daily for self-validation and acceptance. My wife and I even share our cards with each other every day—and she feels the benefit just as much as I do.
In Conclusion
It’s been five months since my last therapy session, and my therapist mentioned that I’ve developed a remarkably strong inner self—I no longer need her guidance. Still, I maintain my daily card-drawing ritual. With StrongMe, I no longer have to lug around a stack of cards or worry about discreetly drawing one in public. I can record my thoughts instantly, and every day my wife and I share our cards and reflections. Bringing this app to life has given me a great sense of achievement, and I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do.