Fifteen
Affirmations
FOR SELF-LOVE
(and a FREE printable!)
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve met a new person and they told me I look familiar, I would be a zillionaire. (I have one of those faces, apparently.) The size of the confetti cannon I could buy, y’all…🎉
Similarly, self-love sounds familiar, but when we come face-to-face with the idea we immediately think of selfishness or self-indulgence. But just because they all relate to the self, doesn’t mean they are the same! Any more than me being exactly like your cousin’s wife’s girlfriend. Far from it.
Self-love, according to Webster, is simply a proper appreciation of one’s worth or value and attention to one’s own well-being.
As opposed to selfishness, which is being concerned exclusively with one’s self with no regard for others. Or self-indulgence, defined as excessive or unrestrained gratification of one’s own desires or whims (which is sometimes what happens when I shop at TJMaxx).
Self-love is all about regarding ourselves as valuable and as worthy as anyone else we would love. And treating ourselves the same way we would our BFF. Or maybe our dog. (Because you know you treat that puppy like a princess.)
The most common place I fail to show any self-love is in the conversations I have with myself in my own head. I am a BIG BULLY, y’all. Regina George has nothing on me.
And in order to shut her down properly, I have to replace her super mean words with something kind and true. Enter affirmations.
Affirmations are like Glinda the Good Witch reminding you that You’ve always had the power, my dear. Sometimes we just need a new, kinder soundrack to play in our heads.
So here are fifteen of my personal favorite affirmations, for you to use to replace the voice of the Big Meanie in your own head. Along with a printable copy to post wherever you will see them and be reminded that YOU are a valuable and worthy human being.
In every situation, we always have a choice. We choose the story we tell ourselves about what is happening. We get to decide what it is going to mean to us. And we get to choose our attitude going forward. Choose joy. Choose sparkly. Choose a confetti cannon.
Sometimes we are setting things on FIRE we are moving so fast! We are the rabbit…out there hopping our little hearts out. And sometimes we are barly crawling along. Turtle-speed. Maybe. Whatever your pace is today, that is the pace. And it is perfectly fine. Every day doesn’t have to move at the same speed.
Life is hard sometimes. But that’s okay, because we can do hard things. Maybe not perfectly, or all at once. But we have the capacity to grow and learn and overcome new challenges. So get out your superhero cape and goggles and get ready to attack.Â
Your life is just that, YOURS. And it isn’t supposed to look like anyone else’s. So stop trying to cheat off your neighbor’s paper and get busy writing your own story. (Spoiler alert: it’s going to be AHmazing.)
Are you tired? That probably means you have been doing hard things! Congratuations! Now reward yourself with a nap. Or a bath. Or whatever else your tired soul needs to recharge. Even God took a day off, you know. Don’t get too busy for your britches.
If you wait to celebrate the big stuff, you are missing soooo many opportunities to blow your party horn! And why wouldn’t you want to celebrate as much as possible? The party shouldn’t be reserved only for the end of your journey…look for reasons to toot your horn along the way.
Sometimes we just need to take a time out in our happy bubble and remind ourselves that our level of soul-wellness is ours to choose.Â
Are you struggling? Congratulations! That means you are probably doing hard things! I bet there is a small win around here you should be celebrating, so grab your confetti cannon! Maybe you need permission to take a nap? If so, I grant it. Do not let your struggle define your story. Ever. It is never the final chapter.
When we don’t know how to navigate what is happening in our lives, one of the bravest things we can do is find a qualified captain to help us chart a safe course forward.Â
Whether you are 9 or 99, it is never too late to start. As long as you still have a beating heart in your chest there is still time to chase a new dream or try a new thing. Today is the youngest you will ever be, so what are you waiting for?Â
Our feelings can be lovely friends who whisper like Jiminy Cricket in our ear. They can also be stand-ins for the Wicked Witch of the West. We should always listen to our feelings, but then we should use the brains in our heads to decide if what they are telling us is true. And the truest story of all is that you are loved. No matter what your feelings may be whispering at the moment.
Feeling a little messy today? Welcome to the club! Let’s celebrate! (I’ll bring the party hats.) That mess you think you are, that’s called humanity. And we all belong to that club. I’m still trying to find the clubhouse. I bet they serve delicious cocktails. Or you can just come over to my house.
You are one of a kind. The only you in all of time. Isn’t that lovely? A Mona Lisa. A Venus. A Girl with a Pearl Earring. Priceless. Irreplaceable. Don’t you think you’d better start treating yourself with more care?Â
We learn to walk by walking. We learn to drive by driving. We learn to be courageous, not by never being afraid, but by being afraid and doing the hard thing scared. Courage doesn’t just show up on a party float with a bottle of champange.Â
Having trouble with being okay with today’s version of you? No worries. Because you are a work in progress. Nothing in nature blooms all year, you know. We never actually arrive at perfection. So embrace the Becoming version of you. After all, she’s brought you this far.
Brene Brown says: Practicing self-love means learning how to trust ourselves, to treat ourselves with respect, and to be kind and affectionate to ourselves.
I know practicing self-love can feel awkward and forced sometimes. But before we can freely love other people, we have to be confident in our own worth. Affirmations are a great starting place to remind ourselves of the truth: that we are valuable and worthy, exactly as we are today. Even as we are becoming the next version of ourselves.
Another great way to start valuing yourself is to get to know yourself! When was the last time you spent any time with YOU? Check out these great ways to strengthen your most intimate relationship, the one with yourself!
