Affirmations are bite-size statements that help some, if not most, of us get through rough times which we are arguably living in. Perhaps that’s the reason why affirmations can be found so often in many social media channels. For our homies, we’re making this post to remind us that we’re OK. If you’ve got it all together, then please share whatever affirmation here you think would resonate with people you love.
I know quite a few people who don’t like affirmations, just like they don’t like quotes. If you’re one of them, skip this post and read about color inspirations instead.
Love Yourself
We all have our darkness and light. Love both because they are what make us unique. We choose to hide some parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, that cause us pain, or that we think do not fit the face we show the world. Some of these things we have hidden for years that these have now become blind spots. Soul work will help us get to know who we really are, and that is a positive thing. Handling the difficult and painful parts of ourselves, or what we consider ugly, require great courage and most of all unconditional love for self. The rewards are great when we come closer to our authentic selves. There is peace and harmony within when we continue to understand who we truly are.
Mistakes are Valuable Lessons
Einstein said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” That’s so true. It is easy not to make a mistake if we just stay in our comfort zone, doing the same thing over and over again even if we know it is no longer working for us. Look at the movers and shakers of this world. They are bold and brave and true to that fire that burn in their hearts. Do they make mistakes? You bet! Big time! Not making mistakes is never part of the plan for them. What they fear is standing still and not trying to achieve their dream. Mistakes are part of growth.
Go With the Ups and Downs
If you’re feeling bruised and battered, go through the pain as best you can. Healing is not linear. There is no perfect score waiting at the end. There is just growth as we live each moment. If possible, share the sorrow with someone. We all need people to listen to us even if they can’t solve our problems. That stiff upper lip is so overrated.
Clear Your Head
Most of us are familiar with overthinking. It seems to be a modern-day phenomenon that brings us nowhere except going around in circles or worse, spiraling down into anxiety and depression. Mindfulness is one way out of it. That is breaking down our day into minutes, seconds, even micro-seconds, and just focusing on what we are doing at any given moment. Exercise is another way because it helps bring us back into our bodies instead of just staying in our heads, fixating about the dilemma. Think about the spinning circle on your screen when the computer is loading or busy with something. Overthinking is like that, spinning and spinning because the mind is busy on an issue and just stuck there, not moving forward to problem-solving. Stop thinking and get moving, like go on a walking meditation. Imagine the head “decreasing to its normal size” as blood flows to other parts of the body.
Breathe
One of the most powerful techniques in yoga is breathing. But we don’t have to know yoga to use this healthy technique because it’s something we all do involuntarily. Go through the day being mindful to really just stay with the breath. Imagine clean air entering the body, spreading inside to all the cells. Then imagine exhaling all the toxins out of the body. Do this several times. The breath slows down and gets deeper when we focus on it. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
Your Life, Your Story
Don’t let anyone write your life story for you. That includes not letting them hijack you so you put down their words instead of yours. This is a good time to check what you believe in. Perhaps you are holding on to beliefs that may have served you a long time ago but are no longer true for you now. Or worse, you may be sounding like someone else you know. Therefore, check your beliefs and see if there are those that limit you. This is not an easy exercise, also because of blind spots. Have someone you know and trust act as your sounding board or your devil’s advocate.
Peace and Harmony
Oh, to have peace and serenity these days. It’s really something we need to do consciously, not only to wish it but to practice it. Start with the breath, stop overthinking, quiet the mind, be mindful, trust that healing and growth are taking place, accept the darkness and the light in us, and most of all, be kind and loving to ourselves. It all starts from home, after all.
The Color Palette
As an extra, here is the color palette used for our first seven affirmations. We will be coming up with more affirmations and more color palettes in the next weeks.
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