Affirmations

So as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I just want to share my perspective on the concept of affirmations. Affirmations can be a bit polarizing. Some people swear by them. Some people think they’re cheesy or toxically positive.

I’ve found that finding a happy middle works best for me and my clients. I try to keep affirmations realistic rather than aspirational. If we repeat something to ourselves that we don’t believe or that doesn’t feel realistic to our brain, no amount of repetition will make it feel true.

I believe it’s more helpful to find realistic mantras and affirmations that are actually going to sink in and inspire us, that our brains will actually believe.

Personally, I say things like “just be you” when I’m going into new social situations, or “your best is enough” when I am working on a challenging project or task.

If I’m going through a hard time, I’ll tell myself things like “you’ve done hard things before, you can do it again” or “just survive the day hour by hour, then you get to crawl into bed tonight, and relax”.

Many of my clients have found that realistic affirmations like these are more empowering, motivational, and inspiring. The best part is that we can truly believe them.

When we make our affirmations realistic to our lives, situations, and who we are, we empower ourselves to literally change our brains and our thinking to make us more confident and capable of getting shit done and being our best selves. What’s “realistic” as an affirmation is going to differ from person to person.

If you’d like help coming up with a realistic affirmation that best serves you, feel free to schedule a therapy appointment with me! I’d love the opportunity to collaborate with you in the therapy room, and together, we can affirm and reinforce the beliefs you want and need to take yourself further!