I’ve been meaning to write a blog about affirmation for a while now. I suppose the New Year always garners a renewed interest and brings a reflective peek into our busy lives, so this is the perfect time to share my insights.
The dictionary defines affirmation as "emotional support or encouragement." I truly believe we have the power within ourselves to find the path to personal fulfillment and contentedness, but sometimes we need the tools or small reminders to succeed.
I’m a huge fan of journaling, not necessarily food tracking. Oprah popularized the art of gratitude journaling years back. I agree it’s not for everyone but I do encourage my patients to find a mode that works for them. Most recently, a patient of mine (who's been in Weight Watchers for over 20 years) came in with her spiral-bound, pocket-sized WW food journal. Each page noted sections for what food was eaten and when. She told me she was tired of writing in it. “I write the same thing in it everyday,” she said, and indeed when I looked at it, a robot could have entered the information. I slid it back across the desk to her and pulled out an assortment of blank journals and told her to pick one. She took the one with the birds on the cover because it spoke to her. I then asked her to stop tracking what she ate and just write down how she was feeling, instead. The huge sigh of relief from that tracking harness said it all.
It’s important to recognize what personally speaks to, or inspires you. Sometimes it takes a trained, mental health professional to guide you in that journey. Or maybe all you need is a walk (like mine) through the aisles of TJ Maxx and Marshall’s! An impromptu photo session of what I have dubbed “Positive Plaques” truly inspired me to write this blog.
I think these plaques are worth the $4.99 investment and can speak for themselves.
Here are the ones that I gave to my Weight Watchers patient this holiday season. She has them on her mantle at home. Her reply back to me was, “ I look at those two plaques every single day and they provide great comfort and inspiration.”
I hope these postive reminders can give you the clarity to see through crappy days, the strength to pull you up when you are too tired to hang onto the swinging rings, and will inspire you to begin each day of your precious life in a positive light.
And remember, it's not what we see in the mirror that matters the most!
Sophie