I'm at Cheltenham Market tomorrow and preparing for it reminded me of the last time I was there. I met a customer who asked me if I had any 'mental health' pieces which really sang to me as mostly everything I do is a way of maintaining good mental health, but it got me thinking about what I create that helps others to maintain theirs. I realised there was a gap and we had a discussion about some ideas that she suggested could work really well, one of which was positive thinking and the power of affirmation.
Now at this point I have to really thank this lady, and also anyone else who ever comes and chats with me about my work because you don't always realise what it sparks in me and that in itself is also really powerful.
What is Positive Thinking?
Positive thinking is a mental attitude that focuses on the good in any situation. It involves
looking for the bright side, believing in yourself and your abilities, and having a hopeful outlook on the future. I've talked about this before as I'm a big believer in expressing gratitude and I've told you what a difference simply writing down 3 things I am grateful for every morning has made to my life.
Positive thinking can have a number of benefits for your mental and physical health, including:
Reduced stress and anxiety
Improved mood and emotional well-being
Increased self-esteem and confidence
Stronger resilience in the face of challenges
Better physical health
What Part do Affirmations Play in This?
Affirmations are essentially positive statements that you can repeat to yourself to help you believe in yourself and your abilities. They can be about anything you want to improve in your life, such as your career, relationships, health, or overall well-being. It wasn't something I was overly familiar with but this lady told me that her daughter practices regularly with little statements she pins to her mirror and I realised it wasn't all that different from my daily statements of gratitude.
By repeating affirmations to yourself, you can train your brain to think more positively. Over time, it becomes a habit and good habits can lead to positive changes in your behavior and emotions.
Here are some tips for using affirmations effectively:
Choose affirmations that are specific, positive, and believable to you.
Repeat your affirmations regularly, throughout the day.
Say your affirmations with conviction and emotion.
Pair your affirmations with positive visualisation.
Here are some examples of positive affirmations:
I am worthy of love and respect.
I am capable of achieving my goals.
I am strong and resilient.
I am grateful for all the good in my life.
I am open to new possibilities.
Negative Thoughts
If you find yourself struggling with negative thoughts, try to replace them with positive affirmations. It may take some time and practice, but with consistency, you can train your brain to think more positively and experience the benefits of positive thinking.
Over the last couple of days, I've been thinking about little 'power ups', small things we can do whenever we feel a little low or we find ourselves getting into a negative frame of mind. Little mood boosters if you like. They're not meant to be a quick fix for problems, but I'm wondering if they can be small steps that we can experiment with to see if, over time, they can have a positive impact. Examples of mood boosters might be things like complimenting someone for an achievement, gifting yourself 5 minutes of 'play time' every hour of work or stepping outside and noticing something beautiful.
There are endless examples and they will be unique to each individual but it occurs to me that affirmations have a part to play in this. Reminding ourselves what we have achieved and what we are capable of is sometimes harder than beating ourselves up over something we're not happy with and because it's harder, we need to actively make time in our lives to do it.
If you haven't seen my collection of affirmations yet, you can view them here. They make great gifts to yourself but also to others who you think might need reminding that they are strong and capable. Thank you, again, to the customer who encouraged me to create these.
Have a wonderful weekend, Helen xx