Affirmations as prayer
Care for yourself with words
I always thought affirmations were ridiculous. It seemed as though these were little spells we could whisper to ourselves in the mirror, or scribble in our journal, and it wouldn’t go much farther. I know I had tried them previously, and they didn’t really penetrate my subconscious. The way I understand it, these words are meant as a way to retrain the subconscious to move us towards a more complete way of being.
I decided to try another approach after I made it a little further in Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way,” as well as suggestions from others. After years of crippling self-consciousness, I decided to approach affirmations as a way to grant myself a little grace.
Part of living through active addiction means living with the idea that we are imperfect, fallible beings. Part of the snowball effect is that as certain events happen that have negative impacts on life during addiction, it becomes easy to see ourselves as unworthy of redemption. This is multiplied when we are in a position where it seems as though we have few options. Reaching out for help seems daunting because we feel as though help would be wasted on us.
Cameron recommends using affirmations to help disentangle ourselves from limiting beliefs that keep us from reaching for creative goals. Spiritual folks cite affirmations for their manifestation and self-love practices. While I have experiences of connecting god (higher power, spirit, collective or however you choose to engage with this part of reality), I wanted to use affirmations as a way to remind myself of that Divine Spark within. I wanted to comfort the inner child, to whisper kind words to the inner teen and remind my Recovering Self that I am still inherently good.
Currently my favorite affirmations are as follows:
I forgive myself.
I am brave.
I release all fear.
I am confident.
I can do hard things.
The words help. They soothe my soul when I desperately need spiritual nourishment. They remind me of all I am capable of. These are words collected in the external world as well as my internal universe. They are not my only affirmations — I am not above the physical world. I still work to build trust in the universe for my manifestation practice. I have space for all of these facets of self.
These words are coupled with my journaling practice. I write them out ten times each after my Morning Pages. I use my journal as a playground for introspection and my art practice as a form of play and emotional release. Currently I would like to add in more of a gratitude list to this daily activity. I believe It’s part of a larger practice, but all the pieces lead to healing and self-compassion.
These prayers are not the end-all solution to problems. But they are little gems of hope that start my morning off well. Staying in-tune with what my body tells me during morning pages or throughout the day helps me to determine the words I need most.
On holiday this week I stood up on a paddle board. A year ago I wouldn’t have even attempted it. I determinedly tried 4 times until I stood successfully for a few seconds (not as much core strength as I’d like) but I am beyond proud of myself for trying and trying again. It’s all I can ask of myself, just as I do in my sobriety. Show up and try.
Prompts
I invite you to sit with your journal for a brain-dump session. During this pay attention to the emotions and sensations that arise. Jot them down, along with any thoughts that accompany them. Then, craft some affirmations for yourself based on what comes up during this session. I invite you to include them in your journaling practice for a few days as it feels right in your bones. If you feel a natural resolution, then perhaps it’s time to let it go. If you don’t like the idea of having affirmations in your journal, write them on loose leaf paper. Paint over them or tear them up after to let go, let go, let go.
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omg it’s such a breakthrough when you find affirmations that you can emotionally connect with!! i feel like it’s been a journey for me, too, and i loved what you said about focusing on supporting your inner child. also CONGRATS on the paddle board, it’s so hard to build back the strength and balance for that in adulthood, even if ur healthy (which i am not completely lol) 😆