Welcome to our special section, Thrive on Campus, devoted to covering the urgent issue of mental health among college and university students from all angles. If you are a college student, we invite you to apply to be an Editor-at-Large, or to simply contribute (please tag your pieces ThriveOnCampus). We welcome faculty, clinicians, and graduates to contribute as well. Read more here.
Something that excites me so much about the culture that I chose to surround myself with is the fact that mindfulness is discussed more and self-care is such a priority. I think that the greatest service we can do for ourselves is to put our personal and mental health first.
One phase of self-care is to take stock of your life as it is now, and then imagine your life as you would like it to be. Affirmations serve as a mental bridge between your two lives. With affirmations, you are able to organize your thoughts into actual statements of potential. You repeat the affirmations to yourself as often as needed, and these statements of potential turn into statements of truth. By affirming yourself that you can live the life you want, you are solving one part of the puzzle. The other part is taking action.
- Where do you want to flourish?
- Set/recognize goals.
- Reverse the negative.
- Write positive affirmations
I used these steps to create affirmations for myself that I try to repeat every morning as I brush my teeth. I have included an affirmations worksheet PDF that you can use to write out the steps by hand. The worksheet further develops the steps and gives you more to consider while writing. It’s good to remove yourself from any distracting screens and sounds (iPhone, TV, computer) and spend some time with yourself really focusing on the affirmations and addressing what you want.
Since affirmations can get a bit long and hard to memorize, I think it would be nice to type them out on decorative paper and have them laminated so that they last longer.
The great thing about affirmations, vision boards, and other visualization exercises is that they are so helpful for organizing your thoughts and bringing your wishes to the front of your consciousness. They, unfortunately, are not magical spells that will instantly bring you everything you want without any work on your part. Once you have your affirmations, and you can clearly see what it is that you want, the next step is to start creating small attainable goals. These goals will serve as steps to supplement the roadmap you’ve laid out with your affirmations. Reply with some of your affirmations, I’d love to hear them.
Happy affirming!
Click here to download free affirmations worksheet.
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More on Mental Health on Campus:
What Campus Mental Health Centers Are Doing to Keep Up With Student Need
If You’re a Student Who’s Struggling With Mental Health, These 7 Tips Will Help
The Hidden Stress of RAs in the Student Mental Health Crisis