A blog by Hannah Palmateer, based in Greenville, SC.
Affirmations can be a great part of any self-care practice and the great news is, there’s no wrong way of using or creating them! Some people like to write their affirmations on sticky-notes, while others prefer to print a photo, or keep it digital, or even scrawl them onto a corner of a bathroom mirror with lipstick. Whatever your preferred affirmation modality is, try to ensure that you air your affirmations in your personal high-traffic areas where they can serve you best as gentle reinforcers- next to your key rack, on the dashboard of your car, set as your phone or desktop background, snuggled up next to your coffee pot, etc. By placing affirmations in your commonly visited areas, you’re simply more likely to see them, read them, and ultimately, believe them.
Affirmations can consist of, quite literally, anything. What do you want to affirm, assert, believe? Maybe there’s a single word that really grounds or inspires you. Or maybe it’s a long quote, or just a random sentence that you once heard. Here are five of our favorites that you’re welcome to borrow:
Trust the timing: Whether we’re comfortable to admit it or not, timing is often out of our hands and beyond our control. This affirmation can help us to gently release our grip of control that we tend to hold over the timing of situations. So next time you find yourself late for an appointment, or things aren’t working out the way you had anticipated, try reminding yourself to “trust the timing” regardless of the outcome. Oftentimes things can turn out even better than we could have hoped for anyways!
Thank you: We’re all familiar with gratitude practices. Using a gratitude affirmation as simple as, “thank you” can be a great way to habitually return to a deep sense of appreciation for all that you have and all that is, regardless of all that is not.
And that’s okay: This affirmation is all about giving yourself permission to accept imperfection. It might be, “I’m feeling bloated today… and that’s okay.” Or, “my date still hasn’t returned my call… and that’s okay.” Or even, “That conversation with my boss didn’t go as smoothly as I wanted it to… and that’s okay.” When we use this affirmation, we’re allowing things to be what they are, when they are, and in turn, we’re able to be a little bit more present instead of expending our energy trying to rewrite the past.
Today I choose joy: In our non-stop tech-driven world, it’s easy to place our feelings on auto-pilot. This affirmation is all about affirming the fact that we have the agency to choose what we’d like to feel throughout the day. You can replace the word “joy” with any feeling that you’d like to feel more of- peace, strength, surrender, bravery, sobriety, etc.
I love you: This affirmation is arguably the most important and powerful one. If you ever find yourself spiraling in your own thoughts as you try to fall asleep, try this using this affirmation. Close your eyes and silently, slowly repeat to yourself, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” It might feel a little silly at first but this can be a really beautiful way to end the day and return to yourself before starting anew the following morning.
If affirmations are new to you, start by choosing just one; something that makes you feel good, empowered, strong, brave, validated, or whatever else you may be needing to fill your cup up to the very tippy top. Print, write or digitally save it and then place it somewhere you’ll see it, read it, and believe it.