“I can,” “I am worthy,” “I am smart,” “I am deserving,” “I can do it,” “I am going to have a good day,” are just a few positive words of wisdom that can help push you to think more positively about yourself. When you’re going through a big life change like recovery, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and at times you might feel down about yourself.
Throughout recovery you will deal with moments where you feel tempted to relapse. You may also have times where someone is talking about your past and you might feel embarrassed. These are all normal feelings. The best way to handle these hard situations is to think about how far you have come and focus on all of the things you are doing now that your old self would have never dreamed.
Here are a few exercises that will help your inner voice become your inner cheerleader and will push you to see value in how awesome you are:
- Say it outloud
Say five positive words, like “I can” and “I am deserving,” to yourself in the mirror every morning. Words are powerful. You know the saying: “be careful with your words, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.” This is a saying you should keep in mind when not only talking to other people but also to yourself. We “internally” talk to ourselves thousands of times a day. Our inner thoughts have so much power over our mindset, attitude and happiness. Starting your day with speaking positive affirmations out loud while looking at yourself in the mirror will push you to have a positive inner attitude the rest of day. We say nice things to others all the time. It’s about time you start giving yourself a few compliments.
- Start a gratitude journal
Have you ever noticed how when someone asks you to name three or four positive traits that you like about yourself it can be challenging? For most of us, it’s easier to point out our flaws, but that should not be the case! This is why a gratitude journal is so important and can help you recognize how worthy and awesome you truly are. At the end of each day or at least twice a week, we advise you to write down four things you like about yourself and four things for which you’re grateful. Here’s a few examples: “I am a good sister;” “I am grateful for my supportive family;” “I am good at making people feel welcome;” and “I am grateful for my warm bed.” Focusing on positive traits about yourself and the things you are grateful for will help you realize how much you rock and how your life isn’t so bad after all.
- Surround yourself with positive people
Have you ever been in a great mood and then you go meet up with your friend or family member and they are just complaining about everything? We aren’t saying that people don’t have the right to complain from time to time, but we all know a few Debbie Downers who can kill a positive vibe. When you are trying to better yourself and be more happy, surround yourself with others who are also happy, positive people. Don’t surround yourself with people who are constantly pointing out your flaws or complaining about every little thing. The world can be too cruel of a place to be around negative people all the time. Surrounding yourself with others who are focused on happiness and who have positive self worth will just push you to be more happy.
On that note, we leave you with one of our favorite quotes: “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” — Buddha