Topical Tuesday: Positive Affirmations / Mantras

[gina-Ro]

@taokat gave the great suggestion of "Positive Affirmations" to discuss this fortnight. 

Some days are tougher than others, and it is in those difficult times that positive affirmations, or mantras, can remind us of our values, and give us strength to get through! 

You may be unsure if this is a helpful habit, or if it's a bit too "out there".  

But there's actually a lot of science supporting the claim that positive affirmations can have a huge positive impact on the health and welling of your mind and body.

What is a positive affirmation?

A positive affirmation or mantra is a statement that you say, and repeat, in order to empower, uplift, or encourage yourself. They are often used to get through difficulties, or to reaffirm your personal values. 

To make it powerful, it helps if you come up with something that sits right with you - something that makes sense to you. 

Most of us probably have go-to saying or words that float around our heads all day - and most likely they are negative. It is really easy to get into a habit of saying negative things to ourselves, which is why saying positive affirmations is such a powerful habit to incorporate into your life! 

It is suggested that affirmations should always be in the present tense, and use positive words, - so instead of saying "I won't break down today" or "I will be strong today" we can say, "I am strong".
This has a more profound impact on your brain and your sense of self. 

Some mantras I like are are: 

I don't sweat the small stuff 

I am loving, compassionate, generous.

I am able to get through this as I have gotten through everything before. 

I can ride this wave. 

Questions: 

1. Have you found it helpful to use affirmations or mantras? 

2. What are some positive affirmations that you use or could use? 

[gina-Ro]

To kick us off, I'll answer the questions by saying that, I have found positive affirmations to be very helpful when I remember to use them -I'm working on incorporating them into my life more, and this week's discussion will probably help me to do just that! 

An affirmation or mantra that I often use when I'm tired and walking into a family or social gathering is:" I am loving towards everyone, most of all myself," and it helps to ground me. 

Keen to hear from everyone on this one! 

@taokat @sunflowermom @hippychick @Zoesplace @Tulip 

@Hannahloulou016 @Thin-L1zzy_ @the_ant65 @Mum2018 

[Mum2018]

I try to always look at the bright side. Some of my positive self talk includes...tomorrow is a new day and pick your battles. You don’t have to have a solution to everything every day. There’s always someone doing it tougher so appreciate the positives in your situation.

[sunflowermom]

Every morning when I wake  up I say to myself "Good Morning, I love you."

[Jess1-RO]

I read a positive affirmation that really clicked with me: "I am doing my best and that is always enough". Really important for my self care

[Orbit64]

When you think things are going wrong or you are faced with a challenging situation to solve, one of my great mentors always said
“Turn your stumbling blocks into your stepping stones”.

Another way I recast this is to flip a negative into a positive.

An example: my daughter was struggling with how a teacher was responding to students and getting very frustrated with it. I suggested to instead observe where she thought the teacher was going wrong, and work out how she would respond if the teacher tried to treat her that way. Then she would be prepared in advance.

[taokat]

A very simple one I like is "I am enough". It helps keep me going when I'm judging myself as a mum.

This is another I like to remember, and I've found out it's true. We are way stronger than we think we are!

[gina-Ro]

@Mum2018  - I love that positivity and the positive self-talk. Do you find it makes a big difference on the days you consciously do that ? 

@sunflowermom  - What a beautiful way to start your day with self-love !   It must make a big difference to your morning mood - I might try that one. 

[gina-Ro]

@taokat

I love that - I am enough - similar to yours @Jess1-RO . Simple but so profound. 

@Orbit64 - I really love that idea of turning negatives into positive - it can be quite challenging, but like in your example, it can really help change the whole situation. 

There's an instsgrammer called Alex Elle, who posts a lot of great affirmations - I like this one: 

[gina-Ro]

@Sister @Schooner @Kerry36 

@Rowanna

@Ashestogolddust 

@Popcorn

@Hannahloulou016

Keen to hear from you all on this one too if you'd like to share