POWERFUL POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS – By Anita Domnitz, RN, MS, ND

One of the activities we do in our Angel Care Retreats is to make a positive affirmation board and choose a group name. We do this after lunch after many participants have had time to share their stories.  This is a good time to let our food digest and focus on the caregiver.  During our morning session we’ve heard and shared many of the challenges that face us while caregiving someone with cancer.  The goal of this exercise is to empower the caregivers to find balance, strength, and rhythm in their often chaotic and stressful lives.

Since, as I’ve said often before, we become our thoughts, it is vital that we monitor what we say to ourselves.  Positive affirmations are statements that are strong, loving, optimistic, and without doubt or question.  They most often start with the very powerful, “I am.”  Other affirmations can begin with phrases like: I trust, I believe, I can, I have, I dance, I support, I see, I feel, I let, I love, and many other verbs. There can be no “I will,” or “I am going to…”  The affirmations must be stated in the present and with absolute certainty!  That is where the strength and needed shift becomes life changing and crucial!  Also, they may not be totally true at that moment.  They may be a desire, wish or goal. That is perfectly fine.  Remember, we become our thoughts!

What is something you say to yourself when you first wake up?  Hopefully, it is something kind, happy, or complementary.  Can you think of some statements that are critical, self-loathing, or mean?  Many of us are so used to listening to our inner critic that we forget to nurture our inner parts.

The most effective way for me to teach you about positive affirmations is to share with you the Angel Care Retreat affirmation boards.  They span the years 2001-2017.  There are 33 boards from 34 groups.  Unfortunately, one board was left behind many moons ago.  My hope is that someone who needed to read it got the message J

Speak to yourself in kind, loving, positive ways; the way you would speak to your child, spouse, Mom, Dad, friend, or other loved one and reach for the stars! Enjoy these magnificent boards in living colors!