Do you ever use affirmations? Do you say them to yourself or post them on your wall or mirror?
I repeat affirmations when I meditate with mala beads and I find it quite helpful. It helps me stay positive even when the world is crashing down around me. I shit you not, it might sound hokey but this technique has helped me survive some pretty dark times. Even I can’t believe it.
I facilitate a women’s support group at work and creating affirmation cards is an upcoming project. I made a few examples for the group and decided to post them above my desk at the office. I look at them every day I work. They pump me up and help me focus on what’s really important. I hope the group members will find them as useful as I do.
There are five cards above my desk – each one is a different color and decorated with doodles of flowers and leaves. I actually had a lot of fun making them. Here’s what they say:
I am enough.
I deserve to be treated with love and respect.
My brain is my sexiest body part.
Taking care of myself feels good.
My body can do awesome things.
Considering my recent struggles with my eating disorder I decided to focus on body image. I plan on creating a big list of affirmations for the women in our group so they can pick out ones that suit their lives and current struggles.
Oftentimes I say this affirmation with my mala beads:
Move forward from here.
I have a lot of issues with rumination and I found that affirmation helpful.
I would love to hear what you guys think. What are some of your favorite or most helpful affirmations?
Is “fuck it” an affirmation? Because I’ve used that one a lot.
I like that one!
Such affirmations are not something I personally have or ever would use; the concept doesn’t make sense to me.
If one already believes them, there is no need for them, and if there’s a need for them, then one does not believe them.
A friend works for a company that makes bracelets with affirmative sayings, so she’s given me several over the years. Because I have a meditation practice, they tend to be Buddhist in nature even though I am not Buddhist. If I wear one, I usually forget it’s on so the point of the exercise is lost.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the (now-deceased) Buddhist monk has written a whole bunch of books, and all of them have various affirmations and mantras in them. My local library has a few, and maybe yours does, too. You could read a few and see if any appeal to you. I found the ones about breathing to be helpful when my mom passed and my grieving, deaf, elderly, cancer-ridden father couldn’t cope with all the stuff that has to be done when someone dies.
I think the most helpful part about affirmations is that they get your mind out of whatever rut it’s in and focused on something that’s not harmful to you. If it works for you, great!
I have to get over this sometime, why not now?
@4; I like that! Short and sweet.