affirmations

Trying this new thing. Well, it's not super new. I've been trying it for a while.

Affirmations. Mental mantras. Whatever you want to call it. You find a positive idea, an uplifting thought, and you repeat it. Mentally, out loud, whatever.

I'm working on my physical health, but my mental health is a priority as well. You know, embracing this whole idea of being present and finding peace in everyday life is great and all, but you have to make the choices that make all that happen.

I tried this affirmation thing because, what could it hurt?

Plus I'm a really big believer in the "thoughts become truth" and "mind over matter" idea. I completely believe that if you keep doubting yourself, it becomes truth. But if you keep building yourself up, it eventually becomes second nature and you rise up to your unconscious expectations.

The thing is, it's actually helping.

Yeah, I feel like a complete dorkus saying things like, "I am a good person" and "I am a shiny ray of sunlight" out loud in the car or in child's pose in my bed.

I sometimes feel like a crazy person talking to myself. Even moreso when the cat tries to climb underneath my child's pose. Crazy cat lady talking to herself, telling herself how great she is. Awesome.

But things have gotten progressively heavier in some areas of life lately, and repeating these positive words during moments of turmoil prevents irrational emotional spirals. Which is ultimately a good thing.

I have started picking a new affirmation each week, and writing it in my new pretty planner that I use every day, so I see it every day. Sometimes the idea is related to something I'm directly struggling with that week, and sometimes I just like the way it sounds.

That's another reason why I'm loving yoga. At the beginning of each class, the teacher tells us to set an intention for our practice. And we keep coming back to that intention throughout the flow and movement of the class.
So for at least an hour each week, according to my intentions, I am strong, I am flexible, and I am at peace.
And I am purposely moving my body, which has become stiff from traveling and standing in cold labs with hard floors.

What's not to love about that?