Originally posted on Facebook HERE
I guess I never really thought a lot about “affirmations”. I’ve read about them, I think I get the concept and actually use it a lot without going out of my way to do it. Because really, aren’t we all affirming things to ourselves and about ourselves every day? If you say something stupid to someone and think “why on God’s green earth did I say that? I’m such an asshole”… you’re basically affirming to yourself a negative belief. Do that several times a day, every day, and it will certainly affect your self-worth. And left unchecked, this negative self talk can become our default setting. Personally, I’m extremely self critical. Nothing is ever good enough. I could always do better. And for the fifteen years of my life I was using alcohol and drugs (ages 14-29), I really had a habit of beating myself up. I often wake up with a song in my head, but today I woke up to this affirmation: “I am happy. I am healthy. I am grateful. Thank you”. All of these are thoughts I have every day, all day long whether it’s while meditating, doing yoga, or even during small breaks of the day. They just pop into my head. Internally, I’m always seeking to get into and live my life from a space where I can be as happy and loving as possible. It’s hard to do if you’re beating yourself up all the time. And you probably can’t just change your pattern overnight, either. If your self-talk is mostly negative, it will take a while to turn the tide positive. It starts by recognizing the problem. Catching yourself when you’re beating yourself up, you know? In the instance above, as soon as you hear yourself beating yourself up for saying something stupid – catch it. Change it. Add “no, I’m not. I’m not an asshole, I’m a human. I’m doing the best I can. I will learn from this. I am happy. I am healthy. I am grateful. Thank you for the opportunity to move forward in the future as a loving and caring individual”. Small positive thoughts repeated can have a huge positive impact on our lives. Only you can change that channel from negative to positive. Try it today if and when you catch yourself beating yourself up.
