THE GIFT OF AFFIRMATIONS

Our inner voice is one of the most powerful things we have; what it sounds like and says, how it feels, determine so much of who we are and what we believe.

Take a moment to think about your inner voice. What does it sound like? What does it say? How do you feel when you listen to it? Is it kind and patient and forgiving? Or is it harsh and critical and scary?

As a teenager, my inner voice was no where near the former. Imprisoned by perfectionism, I was ashamed and embarassed by every imperfect thing I did, and I used my inner voice as a form of self-punishment. Some of the beliefs that circled my mind every day sounded like, "I hate myself. I deserve to be punished. I am a burden to everyone." How painful that I subjected myself to these words. They were an expression of the lack of love I had for myself.

Creating affirmations and practicing them every day was the first step to discovering my self-worth. It is essential to create an inner voice that speaks kindness, grace, and love; and I am going to share with you how to start.

You may have heard some common affirmations before, like "I am strong. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am worthy." These are great to start with, but I have found that the most effective and life-changing affirmations are the ones that go deeper. Think about what you struggle to accept about yourself. What negative, and untrue, beliefs about yourself do you currently have? Create a sentence that directly contradicts this belief in a positive way.

For example, on difficult days where I found my anxiety to be more present than usual, my brain would randomly remind me of past mistakes and moments of outright embarassment or guilt to add to the pile of anxiety I was feeling. When this would happen, shame and guilt would fill my body simply by remembering these events, even ones from years and years ago. To help combat these uncomfortable and unnecessary moments of self-punishment, I created affirmations that directly attacked these thoughts and feelings: "I have forgiven myself, and I have forgiven others. I have lessons to learn." Repeating these words every day allowed me to face these painful memories and let them pass. I gave the power back to my positive and caring inner voice by accepting my mistakes and allowing myself to learn.

One of the gifts of creating your own affirmations is that you can directly choose what feels good and what attacks the inner judgemental voice in you. I have found that after a month or two of practicing affirmations every day, I don't need them anymore... because I believe them! When I reach this point, I like to edit them. What do I need to hear next? How can I improve the love and beauty of my inner voice even more? It's an ongoing process and it looks different for everyone. Affirmations can help us change the beliefs we have about ourselves for the better, but they can also encourage us to create positive action. Examples of this might sound like "I deserve rest and quality sleep. I have a body that loves and provides for me, and I have the chance to love it back and fuel it. I have love and joy to share."

Our inner voice is reflective of our beliefs. What do YOU believe about yourself? When you change your beliefs, you change your actions and the way you treat yourself both mentally and physically. I encourage you to write out some current beliefs about yourself, and transform them into words that uplift you and make you feel good because you deserve to feel and experience everything that is good.

Below are examples of powerful affirmations. Take and use as needed.

I am worthy of love. I am strong. I am curious. I am smart. I am silly. I am clean. I am loved and I love. I am living. I am life.

I have power and freedom within me.

I have a body that loves and provides for me and I have the chance to love it back.

I have forgiven myself and others. I have lessons to learn.

I am transforming and I will continue to evolve.

I accept myself for who I am today.

I make choices for who I'll be tomorrow.

I love myself for who I am always.

I have love and joy to share.

Every breath and every moment is worthy of celebration.

Today is a beautiful day to be alive and experience love.