Photo by Sapan Patel on Unsplash
I remember when #affirmations started popping up. I remember cringing at videos of someone repeating something positive to themself like “I am beautiful” into the camera. To say the least, I was skeptical that something as simple as affirming a positive belief could change so much about your life. It surely takes more than that, right?
Before we get to the answer, please let me tell you a story.
It was around 2021 and I was a mess. There were so many new things going on in my life: new puppy, new home, living on my own. Also, the pandemic was still raging on outside. I was at home alone most of the time and just could not get out of this pit of despair that I had dug for myself. I was so low, so angry, so not me. I just felt like I couldn’t get out of my funk and I couldn’t find hope for the future. I just wanted to make it to night time so that I could go to sleep and be done for the day.
The craziest thing is that I didn’t even realize that I wasn’t my normal self because I had been on this downhill path for so long. I thought that this dark time was my normal, my default. To say that my personal life was strained was a polite way to say it. I came to a crossroads — continue on the easy path downhill where I’d certainly lose what was precious to me, or take my first few steps up towards a different path.
I was so desperate to change my life. I had achieved everything I had hoped for and I knew I was going to lose it all if I didn’t change for the better. So I got to work and I signed up for therapy for the first time. I told myself that I owed it to myself to try it out, and if it didn’t work, it was okay to stop and move on to something else. While it was helpful to get things off my mind, I don’t think my therapist was really a good match for me. It just felt more like I was talking to her about what I wanted, but not really getting any actionable steps on how to help myself. I kept at it for months but eventually I had to quit therapy because it just wasn’t working for me.
So while I did quit therapy, I didn’t give up on myself. I started thinking about my thought patterns and how I got to my current state in the first place. I started getting curious about #affirmations because they were trending in my social media apps.
If you don’t know what affirmations are, they’re touted as magic across social media. You know “That Girl” that has it all? Beauty, hot body, money, perfect life? She’s achieved it all due to affirmations. While the trend was kinda cringy, it isn’t entirely bs.
What are affirmations?
In its simplest definition, affirmations are positive, self-empowering statements that you repeat to yourself in order to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts you have for yourself. You are the product of your thoughts. If you keep telling yourself that you cannot achieve xyz because you are lazy, or unworthy — then why would you even try to achieve it in the first place?
This resonated with me so deeply. There were so many negative things I was telling myself during the time:
- I can’t get out of this pit
- Nothing I do matters
- I can’t finish anything
- I can’t communicate my feelings well
… and the list goes on. No wonder I couldn’t get out of my funk! I wasn’t letting myself get out of it.
When I first started implementing affirmations, I couldn’t think of a single good thing about myself. That really sent me for a loop, but I persevered. I looked up what people were affirming and just started with that. I started with 3 affirmations and a journal and practiced them every day. Seriously my journal entries would look like this for weeks:
Monday – Sunday
- I am in control of my thoughts and emotions
- I am strong, beautiful, and confident
- I am thoughtful, smart, and kind
I just kept practicing them everyday until I was able to add a personal affirmation. And then I was able to add another, and another and then that’s when I knew it was working. I was changing my mindset. I was changing the way I saw myself. I was getting out of my pit. I was getting my self confidence back and trusting that I could always count on myself in any situation.
It sounds simple enough, but it was NOT easy. It’s not easy facing yourself. It’s not easy writing out your limiting beliefs and really seeing how you view yourself. But it’s so worth it to do it because you can start changing your story. You have the ability to be whatever you want and achieve whatever you want. It’s okay to leave behind thought patterns that are no longer serving you. It’s okay to grow and adapt and change.
Today, I can say with confidence that I am a beautiful and resilient woman who can handle anything that comes my way. I no longer actively hold onto beliefs that are not in alignment with how I view myself and my life. But on those days where I am feeling low, or find myself starting to go back to those old thought patterns, that’s when I take a step back and give myself grace because I know that changing my thought patterns requires practice and time.
10 Positive Affirmations to Start Adding to your Morning Routine
If you need help on your affirmation journey, here’s a list of 10 positive affirmations you can start incorporating into your life today:
- I am strong, beautiful, and confident
- I am thoughtful, smart, and kind
- I am in control of my thoughts and emotions
- I am worthy of love and happiness
- I am capable of achieving my goals and dreams
- I am deserving of success
- I am resilient and can overcome any challenges that come my way
- I am in control of my thoughts and choose to be optimistic
- I am open to new experiences and adventures
- I am constantly learning and growing
- I am open to the abundance of the universe
I hope you give them a try, even if they feel uncomfortable. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s okay too. You gave yourself a chance and that’s the self-love and care that I love to happen for you.
Resources that have helped me reshape my life
Note: This post contains affiliate links in which I may earn a small commission with no additional charge to you. Some links contain resources that were created by the author.
- Gratitude Journal
- Positive Affirmation Cards
- Pinterest for Vision Boards
- Leaning on my community
Why is important to keep a gratitude journal?
This is because a gratitude journal forces us to pay attention to the good things in life that we might otherwise take for granted. When we give gratitude to the things we already have, traits that we already possess, we affirm that there is already positivity in our life.
Shop Gratitude Journals:
What are positive affirmation cards?
Positive affirmation cards are, either digital or physical cards, that contain a first-person statement designed to encourage self confidence and positive thinking. The idea is to affirm the thought-provoking sentence in order challenge negative self beliefs in order to influence your mind to accept new and positive ideas about yourself and the world you interact with.
Shop Positive Affirmation Cards:
- Digital Positive Affirmation Cards – Printable
- 100 Affirmation Cards for Women and Men With 150+ Thought-Provoking Questions
How can Pinterest boards reshape my life?
Pinterest is a visual discover engine for finding ideas. When I’m stuck in a rut, I search for something like ‘affirmations’ and get back so many beautiful ideas that I can incorporate into my life. Not every pin speaks to me, but for the ones that do, I pin them to boards so that I can look through them and picture myself already being in that mindset or that lifestyle already. I use these boards like a vision board, a tool to create a positive and powerful image of what I want or hope to achieve. If you’re not sure where to start, please give my Pinterest account a view to get some inspiration on what to start adding to your vision boards today.
Why is it important to lean on others?
When you have a community to lean on, it means that you have a group, or someone, that you can safely share your intimate thoughts with. Sometimes when you think you haven’t made any progress, your community can provide you with their outside perspective that can change your mind on how you feel. You don’t need validation from others to believe in yourself, but it can help to see another interpretation of how you’re doing. It can help you continue to affirm the beliefs that are impacting you in a positive way, or come up with new positive affirmations to start adding to your life.
By utilizing these resources, I have become more positive, more grateful, and more excited for all that’s to come. I started believing and trusting in myself and whenever life throws me a curveball, and it really has, I don’t get down anymore. My mind shifts to thinking about how to tackle the problem instead.
I hope my words can help you out in some way. If you’ve ever used positive affirmations in your life, I’d love to hear about it!
If you liked this post, please share!
xx
