TheraPieces: Practicing Affirmations Can Improve Your Mindset

Mental Health — we all have it, and now we should all strive to be more open and vulnerable about it. 

TheraPieces* is a Slice of Culture monthly column by Mendez, a graduate student pursuing her Master of Social Work degree in clinical/medical social work.

TheraPieces will explore what mental health is, how to cope with it, ways on improving life with a mental illness, destigmatizing the topic of mental health and how to improve the wellness of it — without any judgements.

Everyone wants to manifest happiness and positive energy in their lives by putting it into existence. But what if I said you could do just that by writing it down in your personal notebook? 

Journaling is a fun, relaxing and productive way to document every thought, feeling and emotion that can’t quite seem to be described out loud. 

Thinking can be extremely tiring, but writing down every running thought can ease the mind especially when putting it all in a safe place; you are the keeper of your powerful words. You can bring a lot more accomplishments than you think. 

It keeps you accountable and reassures you that you are in control of your abilities and talents that are already inside of you waiting to be released. 

The practice of the word I am about to tell you is everything you need to know to be the person you truly want to be:

Affirmation: (n). –  A word or phrase that is repeated to oneself to declare a certain feeling or belief. 

Affirmations are a great step to helping you reach your personal goals or creating a better version of yourself to build a stronger, more level headed mind. 

It helps motivate and inspire us to take action on accomplishing what we want to do or become. It also can be a helpful reminder of what we already can do and what we already are. 

Believing in ourselves is just the first step. 

Some simple examples of an affirmation would be, “I am going to have a great day today” or “I am intelligent” or “I am a great friend.” 

Here are 7 powerful and inspiring affirmations that are well suited to help improve your mindset and live your best life happily and blissfully: 

“I will make peace with anything I am able to accomplish throughout the day.”

We are constantly trying to be busy and productive in life. 

We try to complete everything we are supposed to on deadline, yet we also tend to feel burnt out when we haven’t finished. 

The important reminder here is that no matter what, we should be proud of ourselves for at least completing one major task throughout the day. 

It’s okay to take a break here and there, and then jump right back to our tasks. Make peace with doing this everyday.

“I stay true to myself.”

Believing in yourself and what you stand for is powerful. 

It sets our mind to what we want to bring into our lives. It makes us want to be our own leader, educator, creator and just about anything we want to be. 

Practicing this statement each day will give us focus in not changing for anyone else but ourselves. 

“I let my emotions serve the purpose they need.”

Feeling is normal. It makes us human. 

Whatever we need to let out, whether a laugh or a cry, we are allowed to express it in any way shape or form. 

“I am inspired to make the world a better place.”

We all want to leave a mark on this Earth eventually, especially if it influences others in a positive way. 

The world is in need of more kindness everyday and goodhearted acts, and it gives us a good feeling when we practice what we preach. 

“I allow myself time to grow and learn.”

Growing and learning is a process of ups and downs, but it’s important to remember that we are in need of the downs in order to get back up. 

There’s no rush to bettering ourselves. It’s good to pace ourselves, but haste will make waste. 

Take the time you need to be the best version of yourself as long as you are learning from your mistakes.

“I am enough and my existence matters.”

We were all placed on this planet for a reason. No one should tell you otherwise. 

Being born means that you were needed for some purpose, whatever that purpose may be. 

Whether we are destined for something or we create our own destiny, destiny will eventually surround us. 

You and your entire being, matters. Even the smallest form of matter, an atom, matters! 

“I trust that I am on the right path in life.”

This one is important. 

We are all trying to be happy and successful one day. Sometimes we may feel lost and confused with our lives, what we would like to do, or are still quite unsure, which makes us lack motivation. 

But it takes patience and hard work, and once again, believing in ourselves, which we are all capable of. 

You need to “trust the process” and keep striving for what you are working towards. Eventually, everything will fall into place the way it is intended to be.

How to practice Affirmations

Take the time every day to write or type down your affirmations. 

You want to make sure your affirmations resonate with you. Once you have written them down, you can also repeat them in your head or speak them to yourself and repeat them a couple of times. 

You can start from one and continue each day with building up as many phrases as you would like. 

If you are new to this, starting with these 7 would be a good place — one for each day of the week. 

You can do them in the morning when you get up, right before bed or whatever time of the day works best for your routine. 

The results you can get is definitely a peace of mind and the blissful feeling of accomplishment. 

Practicing affirmations improve your mindset.

Doing this everyday can help you not only increase the chances in uplifting your mood to live a happier life, but also give you a better sense of who you are and encourages you to love the life you live.

If you want a specific topic related to mental health covered, Daniella Mendez may be reached at dm1146@scarletmail.rutgers.edu.