Another new year. We have many celebrations and rituals for many different types of new years. Birthdays celebrate another trip around the sun. January 1st celebrates a new calendar year. Many cultures celebrate the harvest as a culmination of another season or year of growing and producing. While these celebrations are usually filled with joy and positive reflections of the past 12 months, for the past two Januarys many of us have looked back with sadness about losses and looked ahead with anxiety. Will this pandemic ever be over? Is this the “new normal”? I don’t have answers to those questions, but I do have suggestions for how our youth may move forward and continue to prepare for the next stage of their lives. In the next few newsletters I’ll be sharing these ideas with you.
Here’s the first installment and one of the most important points, in my opinion.
Affirmations
Affirmations are a popular practice nowadays, but do you know their power? An affirmation is simply a statement that is true. It can be as simple as saying positive, confirming, motivating things to yourself. The impact that that has on you emotionally is great. And more importantly, as your brain processes your words it makes neurological connections that can have physical impacts – that is powerful! Why?
Here’s the first installment and one of the most important points, in my opinion.
Affirmations
Affirmations are a popular practice nowadays, but do you know their power? An affirmation is simply a statement that is true. It can be as simple as saying positive, confirming, motivating things to yourself. The impact that that has on you emotionally is great. And more importantly, as your brain processes your words it makes neurological connections that can have physical impacts – that is powerful! Why?
Because most of us have a strong tendency to say to ourselves and others that we can’t, that something will be hard, is wrong, is too much, is not what we want to do. Or we may imagine the worst-case scenario and replay that over and over in our mind. Why is that a problem? Because it trains our mind to believe that we can’t – and the self-fulfilling principle has your brain saying, “Well then, ok, I agree. You can’t.” It makes us right about a negative view of ourselves. And how is that helpful to our development and growth? It isn’t. |
So flip it! State, using “I” in the present tense: “I can. I am. I am able. I am deserving. I have all the supports I need to do whatever it is that I’m working on. I am getting A’s in class. I’m taking the test prep course and getting 1200 on the SAT. I am getting into the college I want! I have the stamina and determination to finish what I begin in a great way.” You get the picture?
For more details and some suggested affirmations, check out:
Affirmations for when Black lives forget that they matter https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-daily-positive-affirma_b_8684766
102 Powerful Affirmations to Improve Your Life https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/daily-affirmations.html
Affirmations for when Black lives forget that they matter https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-daily-positive-affirma_b_8684766
102 Powerful Affirmations to Improve Your Life https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/daily-affirmations.html