Hello Friends,
Welcome to week 7 of No Stress Summer! This week’s challenge was Affirmations. It’s a good one, my friends, so let’s get to it! This post delves into the science behind how this challenge can help alleviate stress, shares personal reflections from each day of the challenge, offers my overall thoughts on the experience, provides guidance on whether to try it, and provides tips for success. I hope you enjoy my Week 7 round-up and subscribe to stay up-to-date with my No Stress Summer Challenges, available here all summer long!
The Science
A lot of research has been done on using affirmations. Affirmations can help you create new pathways in your brain, stop a negative self-talk cycle, ground yourself in stressful situations and achieve an overall calmer state.
According to PubMed Central, “a brief self-affirmation activity is sufficient to buffer the negative effects of chronic stress on task performance and can improve the ability to problem solve in a flexible manner during high stress periods”.
Mental Health.com reported that the use of self-affirmations can help lower production levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) as well as lower the risk of harmful effects of stress on the body.
Day 1: My affirmation of the day was “Everything you need to get through today is already within you”. This affirmation helped me to deal with overwhelm throughout the day. It was a great reminder that I can get through anything.
Day 2: My affirmation of the day was “I release what I cannot control and I focus on what is in my control”. This affirmation helped me stay focused today, and it helped to keep the spirals away. Shall I say an affirmation, a day keeps the spirals away!
Day 3: My affirmation of the day was “I choose to feel excitement over anxiety”. Oftentimes, those feelings can feel similar, so reminding myself that excitement is a safe feeling to experience and I can choose to focus on that helps me to look forward to things instead of worrying about them.
Day 4: My affirmation of the day was “I am not my thoughts. This will pass.” This one was chosen for today because I’ve been experiencing some intrusive thoughts. This was an excellent reminder for me that my intrusive thoughts do not define me; they are simply just thoughts that pass like clouds.
Day 5: My affirmation of the day was “What belongs to me will never pass me by.” In a time of many unknowns in my life, this is a beneficial reminder to not worry about things that are beyond my control.
Day 6: My affirmation of the day was “I trust myself. I can handle anything that comes my way.” As I talked about in my previous blog post, I struggle with trust issues. That includes trusting myself. So this is a good affirmation for me to work on trusting myself and my abilities more.
Day 7: My affirmation of the day was “I am safe, I am strong, everything will be okay.” I chose today’s affirmation because I was doing activities that challenged my anxiety. This was a great one I could repeat to myself when those anxious thoughts and feelings came up to help me remember everything would be okay.
Final Thoughts
The great thing about affirmations is that you can change them wherever you please, in a split second, based on your needs at any given moment. You can shape and mould them to fit you. I loved having a new affirmation every day as my focus for the day. I created them around what I had planned for the day, and they were also great reminders throughout my day.
In terms of stress relief, I experienced a ton from this challenge. Affirmations are one of my go-to tools for when I am feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious. However, I also use them consistently through all feelings and emotions I experience to help me stay present and grounded.
Is it No Stress Summer Approved, though? YES, of course it is. I think most people could have guessed this one would be. It is relatively common these days, and I believe that is for good reason. The calming effects of affirmations are massive, and I use them multiple times a day, every day, for this exact reason.
My Recommendations
Should you try Affirmations? Yes, yes andddddd YES! I think this is one EVERYONE should get on. It is personalizable to you and your needs at any given moment. You can use them anytime, anywhere. They are a great tool to handle stress and anxiety, and if you struggle with negative self-talk, they are an excellent way to start being kinder to yourself. The benefits of affirmations go far beyond stress relief, making them a fantastic tool for anyone and everyone!
Laura’s Guide to Using Affirmations
- Pick/find affirmations that you can connect with. – The more personal your affirmations, the more effective they will be.
- Put them on sticky notes and post them in places you will see often. This will help you remember them and remind you to practice using them.
- Say affirmations aloud while you are looking at yourself in the mirror to make them even more effective.
- Make it a daily practice. Don’t just expect affirmations to work in stressful times. Consistency will help keep your stress down overall.
Until next time, my friends!
P.S. I’m proud of you 😉