38. Wellness Starts Within: Developing Affirmations

WEBVTT
00:00:04.257 --> 00:00:07.857
Greetings Thrivers and welcome back to Now Let's Thrive the podcast.
00:00:07.857 --> 00:00:11.877
My name is Dr. Devin Ford and I am your host.
00:00:12.177 --> 00:00:16.677
Today I want to talk about a tool that I recently started reusing.
00:00:17.097 --> 00:00:22.417
In the past I've used it on and off and it has really helped me when it comes
00:00:22.417 --> 00:00:29.217
to my confidence, when it comes to relieving anxiety and also just focusing on my overall wellness.
00:00:29.457 --> 00:00:32.357
I started using this tool when I
00:00:32.357 --> 00:00:35.417
was in grad school and that's actually where
00:00:35.417 --> 00:00:38.377
I first heard the term and learned about it
00:00:38.377 --> 00:00:41.577
and started using it not as a part of my coursework
00:00:41.577 --> 00:00:46.857
or anything that I was studying but when I was in grad school working on my
00:00:46.857 --> 00:00:52.117
master's I had a graduate teaching position where I taught first-year experience
00:00:52.117 --> 00:00:59.157
classes as part of a larger position I had as a graduate assistant in a learning community.
00:00:59.497 --> 00:01:05.817
With these first-year courses, there was a lot just around how students transition
00:01:05.817 --> 00:01:10.397
to college, how you learn about the resources, how you acclimate to college
00:01:10.397 --> 00:01:13.577
culture, to a new schedule, to living on your own.
00:01:14.277 --> 00:01:18.737
To your course load, to setting your schedule, to managing your time,
00:01:18.977 --> 00:01:22.197
managing yourself, eating well, finances, like so many things.
00:01:22.397 --> 00:01:26.617
And with all of that can come stress and anxiety.
00:01:26.857 --> 00:01:30.477
And so the tool that I learned to utilize to
00:01:30.477 --> 00:01:33.617
teach to my students and then ultimately started using
00:01:33.617 --> 00:01:39.737
myself was to create affirmation statements and to put those into practice by
00:01:39.737 --> 00:01:46.337
repeating the affirmation statements daily and then incorporating small habits
00:01:46.337 --> 00:01:51.557
that can help me to really emphasize the affirmations or live up to them, so to speak.
00:01:51.857 --> 00:01:56.197
I'm sure that many of you are aware of affirmations and you might even be using
00:01:56.197 --> 00:01:58.057
them, but I bring this back up.
00:01:58.814 --> 00:02:04.034
Again because I just restarted using this tool but also because I think it is
00:02:04.034 --> 00:02:09.494
one that can really help people to focus on their wellness a little more and
00:02:09.494 --> 00:02:13.674
even if you have used them in the past maybe you can restart using them again
00:02:13.674 --> 00:02:18.714
or as always share this with someone who may need to utilize this tool.
00:02:19.074 --> 00:02:25.174
So what are affirmations? Affirmations are short intentional statements that you repeat to yourself.
00:02:25.394 --> 00:02:28.194
They are closely tied to multiple dimensions of
00:02:28.194 --> 00:02:31.634
wellness psychological emotional and even physiological
00:02:31.634 --> 00:02:34.814
and the connection isn't just motivational
00:02:34.814 --> 00:02:37.854
it's actually grounded in cognitive and behavioral
00:02:37.854 --> 00:02:42.114
science so you know me not an expert in all that and don't like to spend a lot
00:02:42.114 --> 00:02:46.854
of time talking about it but I do always like to share the benefits or what
00:02:46.854 --> 00:02:53.334
the potential impact could be of any tool or resource that I share around wellness
00:02:53.334 --> 00:02:55.554
so when it comes to affirmations,
00:02:55.854 --> 00:03:01.354
they are helpful for mental wellness and cognitive restructuring.
00:03:02.074 --> 00:03:05.994
Affirmations function as a form of self-directed neuroplacity.
00:03:06.234 --> 00:03:09.674
And when you consistently repeat positive, believable statements,
00:03:09.994 --> 00:03:14.154
you can challenge automatic negative thoughts. And I call it stinking thinking.
00:03:14.334 --> 00:03:17.614
And I've talked about that in past episodes. You
00:03:17.614 --> 00:03:20.794
can also reinforce alternative cognitive patterns
00:03:20.794 --> 00:03:23.774
which is really good to help you get on back on track to
00:03:23.774 --> 00:03:27.294
thinking more positively and you can gradually shift
00:03:27.294 --> 00:03:30.114
that internal narrative that many of
00:03:30.114 --> 00:03:35.454
us have that just focuses on self-criticism and negativity which I mentioned
00:03:35.454 --> 00:03:40.754
before and just begin to make a shift that becomes almost automatic so it's
00:03:40.754 --> 00:03:45.514
really helpful in that way especially when you get into the practice of repeating
00:03:45.514 --> 00:03:50.074
your affirmations on a daily basis and sometimes multiple times a day.
00:03:50.776 --> 00:03:54.616
This all aligns with the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy,
00:03:54.616 --> 00:03:59.576
where reframing thoughts influence our emotions and our behaviors.
00:03:59.956 --> 00:04:04.596
Using affirmations also helps with stress regulation, which is important.
00:04:04.816 --> 00:04:07.996
It's part of the reason why I taught it to my students in grad school,
00:04:07.996 --> 00:04:11.976
and then part of the reason why I used it myself, because there's a ton of stress
00:04:11.976 --> 00:04:14.916
surrounding being a graduate student, an employee,
00:04:15.136 --> 00:04:19.936
and all the other many hats that I wore, responsibilities that I had.
00:04:19.936 --> 00:04:25.456
So when it comes to stress regulation, it helps with our emotional and our physical
00:04:25.456 --> 00:04:30.636
wellness. And research actually shows that affirmations really can reduce the
00:04:30.636 --> 00:04:33.696
stress responses. So it's not just something I'm making up.
00:04:33.876 --> 00:04:37.436
There's evidence-based research behind it.
00:04:37.556 --> 00:04:43.176
So when it comes to affirmations, they activate brain regions that are associated
00:04:43.176 --> 00:04:45.636
with self-processing and reward.
00:04:45.636 --> 00:04:53.516
So we're talking about that ventromedial prefrontal cortex or the frontal part of the brain.
00:04:53.716 --> 00:04:57.636
And they also buffer against perceived threats to self-worth.
00:04:58.416 --> 00:05:02.716
And so what that means is if something comes up during your day and it starts
00:05:02.716 --> 00:05:06.916
to make you feel down, starts to make you feel self-conscious or bad about yourself.
00:05:07.745 --> 00:05:12.205
It can really just help to automatically kind of make a change and gradually
00:05:12.205 --> 00:05:18.265
shift away again from that perceived threat of your self-worth and help you
00:05:18.265 --> 00:05:23.685
focus on your confidence and knowledge of yourself and the things that you do well.
00:05:23.945 --> 00:05:30.045
And all of this can really help lead to lower cortisol levels and cortisol is our stress hormone.
00:05:30.325 --> 00:05:35.445
And then improved emotional resilience helps us to better be able to cope,
00:05:35.565 --> 00:05:37.045
especially under pressure.
00:05:37.045 --> 00:05:42.345
And so many of us, just by nature of all the things that we do and what we are
00:05:42.345 --> 00:05:46.165
responsible for, we may be under a lot of pressure.
00:05:47.105 --> 00:05:53.125
Using affirmations in daily practice also helps with lifestyle wellness and
00:05:53.125 --> 00:05:54.925
it helps with behavior alignment.
00:05:55.185 --> 00:05:59.705
So affirmations are most effective when they reinforce identity-based change.
00:05:59.705 --> 00:06:00.925
And I'll give you an example.
00:06:01.465 --> 00:06:06.165
I am someone who takes care of my body. If that's an affirmation that I say
00:06:06.165 --> 00:06:11.325
daily, it's going to increase the likelihood of me exercising,
00:06:11.945 --> 00:06:15.765
eating well, and maybe even incorporating mindful eating.
00:06:15.965 --> 00:06:19.925
And these are all strategies that help me to live a healthier lifestyle.
00:06:19.925 --> 00:06:23.905
They are directly tied to behavior that helps in that way.
00:06:24.768 --> 00:06:27.988
And it's also tied to what's called self-perception theory.
00:06:28.268 --> 00:06:32.408
We act in ways that are consistent with who we believe that we are.
00:06:32.588 --> 00:06:37.588
So by saying these daily affirmations, it helps us to truly believe that we
00:06:37.588 --> 00:06:43.268
embody, right, what we're saying each day, sometimes even multiple times a day,
00:06:43.348 --> 00:06:45.428
and it's changing our behavior.
00:06:45.428 --> 00:06:48.028
So I really love self-perception theory.
00:06:48.228 --> 00:06:51.088
And if you have some time, look more into that.
00:06:51.788 --> 00:06:55.848
Affirmations can also enforce self-compassion and emotional regulation.
00:06:55.908 --> 00:07:01.508
They can really counteract harsh self-criticism by helping us to promote our
00:07:01.508 --> 00:07:05.808
own self-acceptance and self-love and reducing rumination.
00:07:06.168 --> 00:07:10.068
And rumination is focusing on negative emotions, past mistakes,
00:07:10.188 --> 00:07:15.788
or really kind of distressing problems or situations without actively seeking solutions.
00:07:15.788 --> 00:07:21.408
So it helps to reduce that, which can be very important for enforcing our own
00:07:21.408 --> 00:07:26.308
self-compassion and helping us to regulate our emotions at times when we may need to.
00:07:26.528 --> 00:07:30.988
And it just overall encourages a more balanced emotional baseline.
00:07:31.268 --> 00:07:36.368
And I really love that. And then finally, affirmations help with social and
00:07:36.368 --> 00:07:40.908
relational wellness. So they help to reinforce our own sense of worth and belonging.
00:07:41.148 --> 00:07:44.548
And they can improve our confidence in social interactions,
00:07:44.548 --> 00:07:47.488
reduce social anxiety and really
00:07:47.488 --> 00:07:50.488
enhance communication and the quality of our
00:07:50.488 --> 00:07:53.668
relationships based on our ability to really
00:07:53.668 --> 00:07:59.388
hone in on interpersonal skills and interpersonal communications and so again
00:07:59.388 --> 00:08:05.268
I recently started reusing affirmations and I have them posted in a few places
00:08:05.268 --> 00:08:12.488
on sticky notes on my bathroom mirror so I see them in the morning time on sticky notes in my office,
00:08:12.808 --> 00:08:17.208
either on my desk or attached to my computer monitor.
00:08:17.408 --> 00:08:22.688
And then also I love the sticky pads app that you can put on your desktop.
00:08:23.436 --> 00:08:27.096
And type in your affirmations and just save them.
00:08:27.196 --> 00:08:32.436
And so when you unlock your computer or you log in, it can come up on your homepage
00:08:32.436 --> 00:08:36.736
of your desktop and be right there for you to see them and utilize them and
00:08:36.736 --> 00:08:40.596
also refer back to them throughout the day when you may need to do so.
00:08:40.896 --> 00:08:44.496
And then I also keep affirmations on a note in my phone.
00:08:44.796 --> 00:08:49.116
So different places that I have them that ensure that I'm going to see them
00:08:49.116 --> 00:08:53.436
throughout the day and it gives me opportunity to repeat them and really embody
00:08:53.436 --> 00:08:58.816
and take in what it is that I am telling myself through these affirmations because
00:08:58.816 --> 00:09:02.116
that's really what you're doing. It's positive self-talk.
00:09:02.516 --> 00:09:08.256
I do say these affirmations at least at the beginning of the day or when I first
00:09:08.256 --> 00:09:12.996
sit down and log into my computer, but I also like to use them different times
00:09:12.996 --> 00:09:15.356
of day, especially when I begin to feel stress,
00:09:15.976 --> 00:09:19.316
overwhelmed, or anxiety may seep in.
00:09:20.176 --> 00:09:23.976
And I'm going to talk a little bit how I developed my current affirmations.
00:09:24.176 --> 00:09:27.616
And hopefully this is something that you can take notes on.
00:09:27.756 --> 00:09:32.996
And again, you can utilize if you're not currently using the practice of affirmations.
00:09:33.136 --> 00:09:35.176
And please, as always, share it with others.
00:09:35.436 --> 00:09:39.076
So the first thing I did was I picked my areas of focus.
00:09:39.076 --> 00:09:43.356
And I think that's really important because it helps to hone in on what it is
00:09:43.356 --> 00:09:48.356
that you want to maybe change and create an affirmation around.
00:09:48.356 --> 00:09:51.356
Areas of focus can be confidence stress
00:09:51.356 --> 00:09:55.156
health motivation wellness peace joy so
00:09:55.156 --> 00:10:00.676
many right but the areas of focus for the current affirmations that I utilize
00:10:00.676 --> 00:10:07.256
are confidence peace and self-respect and so I focus the new affirmations that
00:10:07.256 --> 00:10:13.516
I came up with on those three areas again confidence peace and self-respect.
00:10:14.542 --> 00:10:18.662
The next thing is to just take note of your current thoughts.
00:10:18.922 --> 00:10:25.102
And when you think something, you know, take a minute to kind of sit with it.
00:10:25.242 --> 00:10:30.962
You ask yourself, what do I usually say to myself about whatever it may be?
00:10:31.162 --> 00:10:36.402
And it should be tied directly back to your focus areas if you're using it to
00:10:36.402 --> 00:10:38.782
try to help you to create affirmations.
00:10:39.122 --> 00:10:42.842
As an example, my first focus area was confidence.
00:10:42.842 --> 00:10:45.742
So the question I'm asking myself is what
00:10:45.742 --> 00:10:48.922
do I usually say to myself about my confidence
00:10:48.922 --> 00:10:52.062
and a lot of times it's Devin you should have
00:10:52.062 --> 00:10:55.242
said this or done this so it can be after I've had work
00:10:55.242 --> 00:10:59.842
interaction something professional something related to business even personal
00:10:59.842 --> 00:11:06.782
and I leave that interaction thinking oh my goodness I should have said this
00:11:06.782 --> 00:11:11.442
or why didn't I think of this or I should have done this as a reaction to the
00:11:11.442 --> 00:11:13.222
situation or to solve this problem.
00:11:13.342 --> 00:11:17.262
We can come up with a list of things that we should have done or said after
00:11:17.262 --> 00:11:18.782
we're criticizing ourselves.
00:11:19.042 --> 00:11:23.542
And that's what I usually say. And that does not help my confidence at all.
00:11:24.182 --> 00:11:30.042
Another example relates to peace, which is another focus area of mine.
00:11:30.302 --> 00:11:34.742
What do I usually say to myself about peace? Well, oftentimes I say,
00:11:34.862 --> 00:11:36.962
you know what, I can rest when I find time.
00:11:37.022 --> 00:11:40.882
I need to resolve this issue first or I have this long to-do list.
00:11:40.922 --> 00:11:43.962
I'm really busy. I don't have time for rest right now.
00:11:44.262 --> 00:11:47.862
That is not really helping me to find my peace.
00:11:48.002 --> 00:11:54.942
And my peace really comes through me being able to get and maintain sufficient rest.
00:11:55.971 --> 00:11:59.871
The third area of focus that I mentioned was self-respect.
00:12:00.231 --> 00:12:04.951
And so what do I usually say to myself about this? Be the bigger person, Devin.
00:12:05.351 --> 00:12:09.891
Apologize if you need to just to resolve the issue just to keep the peace.
00:12:10.171 --> 00:12:14.871
A lot of people pleasing, a lot of centering other people instead of centering myself.
00:12:15.131 --> 00:12:20.091
And self-respect is one of my, how should I call it?
00:12:20.091 --> 00:12:28.271
I guess like my themes for 2026, because I need to spend more time centering
00:12:28.271 --> 00:12:33.031
myself and making sure that I'm really focused on my own emotions,
00:12:33.271 --> 00:12:34.891
my own health, my own wellness.
00:12:35.291 --> 00:12:39.231
And to do that, I need to respect myself a lot more.
00:12:39.331 --> 00:12:44.411
And also when it comes to boundaries, it's because I have a lot of respect for
00:12:44.411 --> 00:12:48.751
myself and I want to maintain and uphold that, but also model that for people
00:12:48.751 --> 00:12:53.871
so that they know that my boundaries are important, right?
00:12:54.071 --> 00:12:59.571
And so noticing your thoughts is the second step and it's something that's really important to do.
00:12:59.771 --> 00:13:04.131
So again, as it relates to your focus areas, take a few minutes to think,
00:13:04.271 --> 00:13:07.111
what do I usually say to myself about this, okay?
00:13:07.291 --> 00:13:12.171
If it is something negative, then the next thing to do is to flip it into a
00:13:12.171 --> 00:13:15.751
positive, realistic statement. So I'm going to take...
00:13:16.640 --> 00:13:22.840
My example of peace. What I usually say, Devin, you can rest at another time.
00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:26.340
You have things you need to do. You have issues that need to be resolved.
00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:31.040
How I'm going to flip that instead of saying, I can rest when I find time.
00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:36.800
Instead, I can say, I need to rest daily to maintain my peace.
00:13:37.420 --> 00:13:42.180
Okay. Another thing that's important to consider is when it comes to affirmations,
00:13:42.180 --> 00:13:47.920
you want to write them and say them in the present tense and make sure it feels okay.
00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:52.940
Because that's how you know it's something realistic that you can work on or
00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:59.860
aspire to for that changed behavior and making it a normal part of who you are, right?
00:14:00.380 --> 00:14:05.220
So for me, saying it in the present tense and making sure it feels okay.
00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:11.040
So my peace statement became, I will honor my peace by making time for rest.
00:14:11.040 --> 00:14:14.600
And a second one, I choose peace over pressure.
00:14:14.900 --> 00:14:19.120
It felt perfectly great for me to say both of those.
00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:25.080
They were both present tense and something that can really help me to begin to change my behavior.
00:14:25.420 --> 00:14:30.680
The next thing that you do is post your affirmation somewhere that you have
00:14:30.680 --> 00:14:32.880
easy access to the statements, right?
00:14:33.020 --> 00:14:37.640
So once you draft them and they're in present tense and you're okay with saying
00:14:37.640 --> 00:14:41.100
them and know that they are something that you can repeat daily,
00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:44.680
at least one time a day, find a place to post them.
00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:50.540
I mentioned before I use my bathroom mirror, my office, I use sticky notes on
00:14:50.540 --> 00:14:53.300
my computer and desktop, and I use cell phone notes.
00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.240
But whatever makes the most sense for you, you do that.
00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:00.380
You don't have to have them in multiple places like I do, but I'm really trying
00:15:00.380 --> 00:15:05.240
to get in the practice of ensuring that I say my daily affirmations.
00:15:05.520 --> 00:15:10.260
And that is why I have them in multiple places. but you can do it however you want to.
00:15:10.520 --> 00:15:15.180
Some people put each affirmation, they create multiple and put them on different
00:15:15.180 --> 00:15:17.500
note cards or different sticky notes.
00:15:18.378 --> 00:15:21.538
I have them listed out separately in my bathroom.
00:15:21.978 --> 00:15:25.598
But when it comes to other places, like on my cell phone notes,
00:15:25.718 --> 00:15:27.318
I do have them all together.
00:15:27.878 --> 00:15:33.178
The next thing you want to do is make that habit of repeating your affirmations daily.
00:15:33.618 --> 00:15:37.798
You might need to make, you know, a reminder note for your cell phone calendar.
00:15:37.798 --> 00:15:41.218
I have all types of reminders on my cell phone and my calendar.
00:15:41.438 --> 00:15:46.178
I have no shame in that. It really helps to remind me of when I need to do certain
00:15:46.178 --> 00:15:50.058
things throughout the day. So if that is a method that helps you,
00:15:50.218 --> 00:15:51.978
then by all means do that.
00:15:52.198 --> 00:15:57.838
But what you want to do is make sure that you repeat your affirmations at least one time a day.
00:15:58.298 --> 00:16:03.998
And then once you've done that, you can work on taking small actions to actually
00:16:03.998 --> 00:16:05.358
match your affirmations.
00:16:05.658 --> 00:16:11.638
I would recommend that you start by using the first week to just repeat them at least one time a day.
00:16:11.638 --> 00:16:16.778
And after you've done that and been successful for an entire week then the next
00:16:16.778 --> 00:16:22.118
time you work on thinking about and then putting into practice small actions
00:16:22.118 --> 00:16:23.838
that match your affirmations.
00:16:24.078 --> 00:16:27.698
I'm going to go back to my example of peace again.
00:16:28.078 --> 00:16:34.598
So an affirmation I have around peace I will honor my peace by making time for
00:16:34.598 --> 00:16:37.078
rest and I choose peace over pressure.
00:16:37.318 --> 00:16:43.738
So small actions that I put into practice, letting go of things that pressure me.
00:16:43.918 --> 00:16:50.978
When I start to feel that feeling of pressure building up, I start to ask myself, what can I let go of?
00:16:51.098 --> 00:16:54.838
I do it and then I move on and it helps to relieve that pressure.
00:16:55.078 --> 00:17:00.278
Breaking my work up into smaller parts so that I can avoid being overwhelmed.
00:17:00.438 --> 00:17:04.058
There are always a lot of things that I have to do and I always have a long
00:17:04.058 --> 00:17:07.058
to-do list, but rather than listing out things.
00:17:07.593 --> 00:17:12.193
You know, all the things or the end result or maybe the outcome.
00:17:12.493 --> 00:17:18.993
Maybe I just focus on two small tasks that lead toward the completion of the larger task or goal.
00:17:19.173 --> 00:17:22.393
And that's what I work on, helping to really break it up.
00:17:22.473 --> 00:17:25.433
And this is something that I also used to share with students when we talked
00:17:25.433 --> 00:17:28.233
about managing time and prioritizing.
00:17:28.493 --> 00:17:32.773
Breaking things up into smaller parts and smaller tasks can really also help
00:17:32.773 --> 00:17:35.133
you to be less overwhelmed.
00:17:35.673 --> 00:17:41.833
And so those were a couple of actions that I took towards making sure that I
00:17:41.833 --> 00:17:46.753
put into practice what matched my affirmation statements around peace.
00:17:46.913 --> 00:17:49.153
You can think about that for yourselves.
00:17:49.373 --> 00:17:53.293
Again, I recommend first week, just repeating them daily.
00:17:53.533 --> 00:17:58.153
Second week, implementing small actions. And then the very last thing that you're
00:17:58.153 --> 00:17:59.933
going to do is notice your progress.
00:18:00.433 --> 00:18:03.593
If there's something that you might need to change go
00:18:03.593 --> 00:18:06.693
ahead and do that but then you're also going to celebrate your process
00:18:06.693 --> 00:18:09.533
I'm sorry your progress if you got all
00:18:09.533 --> 00:18:12.633
the way through that first week and you said your affirmations at
00:18:12.633 --> 00:18:15.433
least once a day before you move on to week two
00:18:15.433 --> 00:18:18.613
you need to take some time to celebrate acknowledge that because
00:18:18.613 --> 00:18:21.613
it's really important share it with someone else it's always
00:18:21.613 --> 00:18:24.713
great to have accountability partners and people
00:18:24.713 --> 00:18:27.973
that you can put into practice these wellness tools
00:18:27.973 --> 00:18:30.813
with because they help you to stay motivated but
00:18:30.813 --> 00:18:35.633
then also it gives you a way to recognize and celebrate yourself and one another
00:18:35.633 --> 00:18:40.293
and that's something that's great too but again if there may be something that
00:18:40.293 --> 00:18:44.533
you need to change so you've been trying to do your affirmations you know before
00:18:44.533 --> 00:18:48.433
bed but maybe you're forgetting so maybe you want to do them first thing in
00:18:48.433 --> 00:18:50.433
the morning so you reset and
00:18:50.723 --> 00:18:56.643
that calendar reminder that you have for the morning for when you wake up as opposed to the evening.
00:18:56.663 --> 00:19:00.663
Maybe you need to be up an hour or two before you do it because you have a lot
00:19:00.663 --> 00:19:03.183
of other stuff that you need to do as soon as you wake up.
00:19:03.283 --> 00:19:08.183
So you set that reminder and that alert to do it, you know, an hour or two later.
00:19:08.563 --> 00:19:13.423
Whatever it is that you need to do that really helps you to be able to put this
00:19:13.423 --> 00:19:17.203
into practice and utilize it consistently, then do that.
00:19:17.203 --> 00:19:20.023
If it's part of the behavior piece maybe you came up
00:19:20.023 --> 00:19:24.703
with a couple of small things that you wanted to do to take action on to match
00:19:24.703 --> 00:19:29.463
your affirmations and it really didn't work out for whatever reason take a little
00:19:29.463 --> 00:19:32.903
bit of time to reflect on that but make the changes that are needed and once
00:19:32.903 --> 00:19:34.723
you make those changes and it starts
00:19:34.723 --> 00:19:38.803
to work out then you've got some more progress that you can celebrate.
00:19:40.344 --> 00:19:44.764
So the bottom line is that affirmations contribute to wellness by shaping thought
00:19:44.764 --> 00:19:50.284
patterns, regulating stress, and reinforcing behaviors that align with a healthier identity.
00:19:50.604 --> 00:19:56.564
Let me tell you something. There's no magic when it comes to this affirmations tool.
00:19:56.564 --> 00:20:00.884
But when they are used correctly, when they are used consistently.
00:20:01.544 --> 00:20:06.764
You know, it really is an evidence-informed tool for improving overall well-being
00:20:06.764 --> 00:20:08.164
and it can really help you.
00:20:08.164 --> 00:20:11.124
So I want to close by sharing with
00:20:11.124 --> 00:20:14.364
you the seven daily affirmations that I
00:20:14.364 --> 00:20:17.384
recently set for myself at the beginning of this month
00:20:17.384 --> 00:20:20.104
in April and that I will
00:20:20.104 --> 00:20:22.944
continue to utilize through the rest of the month and
00:20:22.944 --> 00:20:26.104
then at the end of April I'm going to reflect on
00:20:26.104 --> 00:20:28.884
them think about my progress celebrate myself a
00:20:28.884 --> 00:20:31.564
little bit and then see if I want to make any changes and so
00:20:31.564 --> 00:20:34.724
going into the month of May I may remove some
00:20:34.724 --> 00:20:37.424
of these I may update them I may
00:20:37.424 --> 00:20:40.204
create a few new ones however it is that it
00:20:40.204 --> 00:20:42.864
really helps you that's how you should do it and
00:20:42.864 --> 00:20:45.844
that's how I'm going to do it so I'm going to share my
00:20:45.844 --> 00:20:52.544
seven daily affirmations I deserve the life I'm creating I move with intention
00:20:52.544 --> 00:21:00.084
not impulse I choose peace over pressure I am becoming more aligned every day
00:21:00.084 --> 00:21:03.084
I honor my energy and protected.
00:21:03.464 --> 00:21:06.664
I do not shrink myself to make others comfortable.
00:21:07.144 --> 00:21:13.284
My boundaries are valid and necessary. And again, all seven of these boundaries
00:21:13.284 --> 00:21:18.904
tie into at least one of the focus areas that I set for myself when I created
00:21:18.904 --> 00:21:21.764
them, and that was confidence, peace, and self-respect.
00:21:22.871 --> 00:21:27.811
As always, I hope to hear from you. I want to know if you are just now starting
00:21:27.811 --> 00:21:31.051
to work on affirmations, what your affirmations are.
00:21:31.191 --> 00:21:33.711
I want to know about your progress. I want to help you celebrate.
00:21:34.031 --> 00:21:37.551
And if it's something that you are revisiting that you've done in the past,
00:21:37.551 --> 00:21:39.451
I want to know how that's going for you.
00:21:39.591 --> 00:21:44.271
And as always, please share because this may be something that resonates well
00:21:44.271 --> 00:21:48.811
with others and can really help them with their overall wellness journey.
00:21:49.531 --> 00:21:54.571
That is all I have for you all today, Thrivers. Until next time, may you be well,
00:21:54.851 --> 00:22:00.731
may you be at peace, may you be able to create and put into practice affirmations
00:22:00.731 --> 00:22:05.451
that help you to be more healthy, more whole, and more resilient.
00:22:05.911 --> 00:22:08.171
Take care and bye for now.