Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations are phrases or statements loaded with encouraging words, outweighing negative or unhelpful thoughts. Most times, affirmations are used to motivate people, encourage positive changes, and boost self-esteem. Personally, every morning I say a different affirmation depending on what I have planned for the day. I was introduced to positive affirmations when I was struggling, at first, I thought they were stupid and wouldn’t help. As I slowly started saying them, writing them, or even hearing them, I noticed they helped me start the day off on the right foot.
Using Positive Affirmations: You may be thinking, how do I incorporate these into my everyday life? Simply set a reminder on your phone to display when you wake up. Have a sticky note with an affirmation written on it and put it somewhere you’d see it every morning, like a bathroom mirror or the back of your bedroom door. This one is more common and simple to do. It is also powerful to look in the bathroom mirror and say something positive/empowering about yourself to your reflection. Putting positive affirmations on a sticky note and posting them in various locations throughout the day has a beneficial effect.
Benefits: There are numerous benefits to using affirmations. In simpler terms, they better your mental and physical health. Boosting confidence, reducing anxiety, decreasing stress, improving physical health, and improving emotional well-being are just some of the positive impacts. There are major rewards for using affirmations every day or as often as you can, and those are strengthening your sense of self and starting to change your mindset. Now these two benefits also correlate with the others, because ultimately the goal is to help you improve your self-worth and make you a more confident person.
Potential phrases: I am strong, I am beautiful, I am smart. These phrases are basic ones that would be easy to start with. Putting “I am” in front of a powerful phrase adds a sense of self-empowerment to it. My best work is enough, my needs and wants matter, my problems are solvable, and my potential for success is limitless. Now these phrases get a little more in-depth, but their contents scream powerful, successful, and amazing.
Personally, these would give me all the confidence I needed to conquer the day, but you don’t have to use these exact phrases. You can come up with phrases that will benefit you because they are aimed at helping you promote self-care. I can assure you that they help, even though they may seem cheesy. Words can change the way your brain processes, thinks, and reacts, so with these positive affirmations, your brain will start to rewire itself more positively. You can use these as often as you need or want to. Using positive affirmations is a step in the right direction of putting yourself first!
5 Products for Self-Care
What affirmation products are best to use? Here are some suggestions:
- Daily Affirmation Cards: Daily affirmation cards are probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about positive affirmation gifts. These are cards with upbeat statements or mantras written in the first person to build confidence. They help you overcome negative thinking by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
- Self-Care Box: For someone you really care about, a care package gift can never be a bad idea. Curated by therapists every month, this box is filled with self-care goodies to pamper you and keep you happy! You never know what exactly you find in the next box (it’s subscription-based, but you can gift it for just one month), but you can be sure that there will be plenty of inspiration and positive vibes in there. A good place to find a variety of self-care box options is Etsy.
- Inspirational Wall Art: Affirmations that start with “I am…” are the most powerful because they tell your subconscious how you identify yourself. Black and white minimalistic prints will easily fit into any interior and become a positive reminder for anyone who enters the room. You can find these anywhere and they can be put anywhere, like hanging them in your room to get some inspiration to start your day off well. You can search for these by looking up “’I am’ inspirational wall art.”
- “I Am Loved” Candle: A candle with this message makes a great gift, or it can help get you through the day and be in a better mood. You can find a positive affirmation candle with text that can keep you going, such as the “I am loved” candles on Etsy.
- “Present Not Perfect” Journal: A journal with this quote on the cover has been called a “beginner’s course in mindfulness” by some online users. You can fill in a page every morning to set a positive intention for the day, or whenever you feel like it. You can journal and help you set your mind to something you want to do that day. You can always look back at it to keep you going while keeping your goal in mind. A Google search for “present not perfect journal” will turn up lots of options, or you can make your own.