For the past year, I have given special affirmations for spring, summer & fall. Now, after three seasons focusing on growth & peace of mind, it’s time to turn inward & focus on joy & self-love.
Winter is the perfect time to check-in with yourself & find out how you are doing emotionally. As much of nature is hibernating, we, too, should be taking time to rest. With the cold weather, it’s important for us to give ourselves comfort during this time. And most importantly, we must remember that winter does not last forever – we are strong & resilient, & spring will come again.
These five affirmations are meant to help you recenter yourself & engage in more self-love. The design is perfect to share to your Instagram story, or to save for yourself as your phone background. Make sure they are placed somewhere you can see every day to remind yourself of your worth & to help you stay motivated this season.
After a season of growth, summer is the perfect season to relax & find joy in the present moment.
Positive affirmations are a great way to reframe your perspective on life & keep your mind focused on what’s most important. Your mindset has the power to give you more confidence & positivity in your daily life, or to bring you down. By repeating affirmations in your mind, you can ease anxieties & help yourself to focus on what’s most important.
These five affirmations are geared towards summer fun & relaxation. Whether you are trying to clear your mind while lounging by the pool, or if you’re attempting to ease anxieties before a big trip, these affirmations will help you enjoy your summer to its fullest. Feel free to share on social media, or save these graphics to make them your new phone background! It’s an easy way to remind yourself to repeat these words when you need them most.
Spring is a time of renewal. It is the season of new life, when the cold & dreariness of winter finally subsides & hopeful little flower buds poke their heads out into the sunlight. What time could be more perfect to leave our old selves behind & start anew?
Positive affirmations are a great way to change our mindset, & therefore, change our entire lives! Our thoughts have such a profound effect on how we perceive the world around us. Just simply changing the words we speak to ourselves can help us to feel happier & more fulfilled.
Below, I have five positive affirmations that can help you renew your mind & soul this spring. All of them have been designed to be the perfect size for your phone’s wallpaper, so you can put them right where you will see them most. Every time you unlock your phone, you will be reminded of these powerful words. We know that repeating affirmations to ourselves throughout the day can be a powerful way to change our thinking patterns, so having this constant reminder right on our phones is a great way to begin this process!
I hope you enjoy these affirmations, & that they bring you a refreshing sense of peace & joy after a long winter. Leave me a comment below letting me know which one is your favorite, or to share the affirmation you most love to repeat to yourself!
In difficult times, we can either tear ourselves down or build ourselves us up by the words we tell ourselves. Sometimes, our minds can be our worst enemies – we can convince ourselves that we aren’t capable or are unworthy before we even have a chance to prove to ourselves just how incredible we are.
The good news is we do not need encouragement from others to get through times like these. Just by changing the messages we speak to ourselves, we can empower ourselves to handle the challenges that come our way.
If you are currently in a season of stress in your life, give yourself some needed words of encouragement with these positive affirmations. Repeat them to yourself throughout the day, use them as your phone background, or print them out and hang them on your wall. And feel free to add them to your story or your favorite form of social media – spread the positivity!
There is no doubt about it – 2020 was a crazy year, filled with multiple devastating events. But, despite all of the bad that happened, there were some things that managed to give us hope to carry on. Somehow, while the world was struggling, we were able to keep ourselves afloat by recognizing how resilient and strong we are when we work together and help one another.
So, if you are struggling to remember anything good that happened last year, read below to remember 12 encouraging events that helped us to get through a challenging time.
January – We fought the wildfires together
January was our first taste in 2020 of how capable we are of tackling challenges far beyond our abilities when we work together. People from all over the world donated money, and firefighters from other countries flew to Australia join workers and volunteers in fighting the blaze.
February – The Chiefs won the Super Bowl
They may not be your favorite football team, but everyone loves a good underdog story. This was the first Super Bowl the Chiefs won in 50 years! That is something worth celebrating.
March – The Cares Act was signed
Despite the rifts between Democrats & Republicans, when our country was in need, these two groups came together to sign a document that provided relief to millions of Americans and businesses who were suffering at the beginning of the pandemic.
April – Spotify launched Daily Wellness playlists
In addition to many other mental health resources that became available, Spotify launched its Daily Wellness playlist. This simple daily collection of songs and podcasts gave people peace of mind and a simple way to engage in self-care.
May – SpaceX launched 2 astronauts into space
Elon Musk reminded us just how resilient and tenacious the human race is when he successfully launched two astronauts into space…and brought them home safely.
June – NASA inaugurated the Jackson Headquarters
NASA named its headquarters in Washington, D.C. the Jackson Headquarters in honor of Mary W. Jackson, the first Black female engineer to work there. 2020 was a year for Black voices to be heard and, hopefully, for change to have begun.
July – A COVID-19 vaccine became more promising
In the month of July, deals were made and the first trials of vaccines for the novel coronavirus shows promising results. For the first time, we were able to hope that we would be able to beat this terrible disease soon.
August – Polio officially left Africa
In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the poliovirus is no longer present in Africa. This means just two countries are still threatened by this disease – Afghanistan and Pakistan.
September – Meals were donated to HurricaneLaura victims
After the devastation of Hurricane Laura in Louisiana, Rikesh Patel, a local McDonald’s owner, initiated the delivery of 10,000 free meals to those in need. it was a true act of generosity, service and kindness amid a catastrophic event.
October – NASA landed a spacecraft on an asteroid for the first time
2020 was quite the year for space exploration events. In October, NASA landed OSIRIS-Rex on an asteroid. It was a mission that took four years of work, and it may lead to new discoveries about the history of our solar system.
November – A record-number of Americans voted the first-ever female Vice President into office
No matter how you feel about the results of the 2020 presidential election, there has to be a bit of pride for the number of Americans who took on the responsibility to be a part of our democracy and make their voices heard. In addition to this, the first female vice president in history was elected, which is groundbreaking to say the least.
December – The first COVID-19 vaccine dose was administered
After a year of chaos and fear, the first vaccine dose for the pandemic that seemed to characterize 2020 was given. As we look forward now to 2021, we are now able to have hope that life will return to some semblance of normal in the near future.
This list is by no means meant to diminish all of the tragedy that occurred in 2020. But, perhaps by remembering the few good events that did happen will remind us how very much we have to be grateful for, even when life is threatening to make us forget. For me, 2020 was a reminder of just how blessed I am, and it was confirmation that most people are dedicated to helping one another. This past year, I saw more selflessness, compassion and generosity than I have in a long time, and that alone gave me hope for a brighter future.
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I know self-care is one of the most important things I can do to make sure I am functioning at my best, but somehow, I just never seem to have time to fit it in.
Every day, my schedule fills up with work, errands, and other chores. By the time I get home, I am ready to just crawl into bed. And some days, I don’t even give myself the luxury of a good night’s rest – often, I am up late, working on a blog post, finishing an assignment for work, or taking a look at my weekly budget.
As important as self-care is, it always seems to be something I struggle with. The idea of taking a relaxing bubble bath or just sitting for an hour to read a book seems to be too difficult to fit into my day.
I know I am not alone in this. So many of us are rushing from one task to the next – it’s hard to take a step back and notice how we feel. It’s even harder to actually listen to and give our bodies what they need in that moment.
So, to give us all some much-needed help, I have listed below three simple things you can do every day to love yourself better. It takes some practice, but incorporating these three actions into your day every day can help you to be better in tune with what your body needs, and to actually meet those needs during your day. They aren’t time-consuming tasks, but they make a big difference in your quality of life. And when you are feeling good, you are better able to help the other people in your life feel good, too.
1. Do a mental check-in when you wake up
Resist checking your phone first thing in the morning and take the first 30 seconds of your day to do a check-in with your body. How are you feeling, physically, mentally and spiritually?
Ask yourself: How does your body feel? Are you well rested? What emotions are you feeling? Do you feel grounded, or do you feel disconnected from the world around you?
Based on these and other questions you may ask yourself, take note of how you are feeling, and then move on to the next task.
2. Schedule in 30 minutes to take care of yourself, mentally, physically or spiritually
Based on the results of your mental check-in, schedule in some time to take care of any needs you may have. If you are feeling tired, consider scheduling in a 30-minute nap. If your body feels stiff, maybe schedule in a 30-minute yoga session. If you are feeling sad, take some time to do something you enjoy, such as reading, dancing, or singing at the top of your lungs. If you feel like you need to ground yourself, spend some time reading scripture or repeating self-affirmations to yourself. Do whatever works for you.
Thirty minutes is not a lot of time, but it really makes a difference. Taking just this small amount of time for yourself makes sure that your most present need for the day is met.
Schedule in this time on your calendar. If it helps, make it the same time block every day, but change the activity daily based on what you need. You can do your self-care activity first thing in the morning, during your lunch hour at work, or right before you go to sleep at night. Once the task is on your to-do list, it is more likely to get done.
3. Write down 3 things you are grateful for before you go to sleep
End your day with a moment of gratitude. Write down three things you are grateful for that happened that day. This is a great practice to help you remember all of the blessings in your life, rather than focusing on the negatives. Writing down what you are grateful for will not only help you to have a more positive mindset (and positive energy helps attract a more positive life). It also helps to make sure you go to bed thinking about positive things instead of letting your mind wander to everything that is currently stressful in your life. A good night’s rest is a key part of self-care, and it’s easier to achieve that if your head is thinking happy thoughts when it hits the pillow.
Self-care is a very personal journey, and it looks different for everyone. The three practices listed above are simply meant to guide you in your own journey. Always remember to be gentle with yourself – if there are days these tasks don’t happen, simply cross them off your to-do list and promise to take better care of yourself tomorrow. Always give yourself the same love and grace you would extend to others.
What are your favorite ways to show yourself love? Leave a comment below to help spread the inspiration and positivity.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
Last week, I shared about how important it is to take care of yourself. This week, we are going to talk about the importance of serving others.
We all play a part in making our world a better place. Every day, our actions affect those around us. It is up to us whether these people are impacted in a positive or negative way.
When many people think of service, they think of building homes in impoverished communities or volunteering at a soup kitchen. But there are small things you can do every day in your life to help others, and many of them take minimal effort, if any. Giving someone a compliment, smiling at passerby, or letting someone merge in front of in you in traffic are all examples of random acts of kindness that give other people hope and encouragement.
I think we can all agree that the world right now is hurting even more than usual, and we can all use a pick-me-up because of it. Start the chain of kindness by committing to doing one random act of kindness a day. These can be grand gestures, like paying for someone’s bill at a restaurant, or as simple as holding the door for someone. If you need inspiration, check out the free printable below – it has a different random act of kindness every day so you are constantly challenging yourself to have new experiences and serve your community in new ways.
