I tried it and this Happened: Words of Affirmation
Alright, kiddos. It’s a new week and a new self-care method. The method of choice this week? Words of affirmation. You may find this a bit corny (I did at first), but my best friend says them, and she’s had nothing but good things to say about them, so I figured, hey? Why not? The idea is that you speak good things about yourself and your environment into existence in a way that honors and supports you. This also isn’t just a bunch of BS! Evidence suggests that affirmations can help us re-wire our brains by removing negative self-talk and negative actions—our brains are powerful things!
Via The Real Real
To get started, I first went on Pinterest (one of my greatest addictions) and looked up some affirmations to get me started. Pinterest is amazing for finding affirmations; every day I find more to add my affirmations board! But that’s getting ahead of myself! The first day of these words of affirmation, I looked in the mirror after brushing my teeth, a bit awkwardly I may add, and said the words “today I will change my life. I choose to allow peace to rule my days, not stress” to myself. I think the greatest challenge is putting effort into believing these affirmations. It may seem a bit odd at first, and you honestly may not believe it all. But, as you keep repeating positive and powerful words to yourself, it only gets easier. This first day, for example, when I found myself getting stressed and overwhelmed throughout the day (whoever said senior year of college was a breeze lied), I repeated “I choose to allow peace to rule my days, not stress” in my head.
As I continued to do these affirmations in the morning, I found that it was a great way to begin my mornings. By setting intentions, I was allowing myself to start off my day with positivity and light. While bad days can still happen—maybe your anxiety is through the roof or maybe you’re burdened with a ton of deadlines and stress—these daily affirmations really set me in a good mood at the beginning of the day. It also helped me feel more in control of the happenings of my day. To tell you the truth, I’ve actually become a bit obsessed with affirmations now. I even post them daily on my Instagram story! I would undoubtedly recommend setting intentions and speaking words of affirmation daily! Also, depending on what you need more of (whether it be self-love, goal-setting, initiative, or anything else), affirmations can put you in a mindset to attaining it. This is something therapists, use, people! For those that deal with an extreme amount of negative self-talk, especially, rewiring your brain to think more positively by these affirmation exercises can be extremely effective! If you haven’t given it a try yet, or you think it’s just too corny for you, try it anyway! Even if it starts off a bit corny and awkward, you may find it to be a necessary part of your routine (and you may or may not shove it down your friends’ and followers’ throats because you’re obsessed). There’s nothing to lose, yet, everything to gain, so start getting those Affirmation Boards ready and prepare to be wowed!
Cover image via ymag