Activity

When you feel ready to begin…

Get present: 

– Take a few deep breaths in and out. 

– Remind yourself that whatever unfolds during this time is honorable.

Why do we practice affirmations?

Affirmations are positive statements that help us identify the things we love (or want to love) about ourselves, our lives and our environments. Positive self-talk is one of the ways that you can develop a renewed sense of self-worth, dignity and belonging. Words have power, and saying nice things to yourself through affirmations is a way to challenge and potentially overcome self-sabotage and negative thoughts. You can use affirmations as a reminder of the places you see (or want to see) shifts in your thinking, behaviors or habits. The power of affirmations is rooted in the practice of repetition of these positive statements that you come up with for and about yourself. 

How to write affirmations: 

Affirmations are deeply personal reminders of your inherent goodness, worth, beauty and ability. While you can find lists of them online or through other people, affirmation practices are most effective when you generate the self-affirming statements that are most relevant to you and the goals you have for yourself and your healing. 

To begin, spend some time writing or meditating on some of the areas of your life where you would like to feel more positive or uplifted. You might want to think through some of the negative self-talk that surrounds your life, and consider ways that you downplay, dismiss, overly-critique or insult yourself. 

Write your affirmation(s)

Now that you have some guiding principles about what affirmations are, you are invited to create an affirmation for yourself. If you have not created an affirmation for yourself before, it might be helpful to work directly with one of the negative/self-critiques that you considered earlier. 

• Note one of the persistent negative self-talk statements that comes up for you, and take a moment to reflect on how to turn that negative into a positive self-affirmation. For example: if you constantly think “I make so many mistakes,” you might consider creating an affirmation that says something like “I am capable and experienced.” What is one affirmation statement that you can craft to counter one of your negative thoughts?
• Start your affirmations with “I” or “My” — these affirmations are for and about you! Claim that and do so actively. 
• Write in the present tense — call it into existence right here and now! Use your affirmation to boldly name what you want to see as if you already have it. (Consider starting your affirmations with something other than “I will have..” or “I want…”) 
• Stay in the affirmative — with each affirmation you write for yourself, you should be focused on what you are calling in for yourself. (Instead of saying something like “I am not thinking negative thoughts anymore” consider “I consistently practice positive self-talk”)
• Keep it simple and concise — your affirmations should be short and easy to remember mantras that you can repeat to yourself.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Practice saying the affirmation out loud. It’s OK if it feels weird at first to say your affirmation out loud. Try not to criticize yourself, The more you repeat your affirmation, the more familiar it will become. Find ways to integrate saying the affirmation into your daily routines.