20 Easy To Remember Affirmations For Mum's

Firstly, what are affirmations? An affirmation as described in the dictionary as an instance or an act of affirming or state of being affirmed. The assertion of something exists or is true or a statement or proposition that is declared to be true. 

So how do we use affirmations in our daily lives and why should we use them? 

Your thoughts become your words, then your words become your actions.

When we are posing a threat or what our mind perceives to be a threat or something to be true our body goes into a flight, fight, or freeze mode. We may experience some anxiety or have had pre-existing trauma or low self-esteem just to name a few.

When this anxiety and self-doubt become more regular it can affect your self-esteem and confidence and you can start to have negative thoughts. Negative thoughts can spiral quickly and you can quickly find yourself on a slippery slope. 

I believe the more negative your thoughts the more negative your outlook on life becomes is overall. If you change your thoughts to positive ones your life will improve with a positive outlook. 

We can not underestimate the power of our inner dialogue and the words we speak to ourselves. Affirmations are speaking to ourselves in a positive way. We all have a constant running dialogue and we can benefit from interrupting it when it is starting to lean towards a negative one. Almost a bit like the law of attraction. It gives you a much-needed boost of self-confidence in a world that can be perceived as quite negative. 

Being a Mother, I can relate to the sleep deprivation and the almost 'groundhog day' feeling that can come with the newborn stages of life. As they get older the feelings can shift to a state that you feel like you are losing your identity and you are just there to keep these small whinging but amazing and loving humans alive, and that is your only purpose.

Losing a bit of your old identity is quite common although you do gain a whole new identity that you never knew existed. This is why I think in this transition to Motherhood it is important to look after yourself so that you are the best version of yourself you can be. 

Sometimes with the stresses of Motherhood and the external factors of social media, friends, parents, and in-laws and sometimes feeling like you have to be perfect, you can get lost in a bit of self-doubt, negative talk, and just feeling down. 

Ask any parent (particularly the honest ones) and you will most likely get a similar opinion. Kids can be exhausting yet so rewarding. So what can we do as Mothers to help re-center and re-ground ourselves? Implementing affirmations and self-care are great ways to start. 

Affirmations can be hard to remember and it can be hard to introduce new habits into your daily life so let's start with 10 affirmations that you can try and insert into your day and see if they help you. 

10 Easy To Remember Affirmations: 

1. I can do hard things.
2. Every challenge I face is an opportunity to learn, grow and improve.
3. I am grateful and blessed with my life and how it has turned out.
4. I commit to being positive.
5. I am doing the best that I can for my children. My best is enough.
6. I trust in my maternal intuition.
7. I am becoming a more confident Mother every day.
8. Everything I do is for my future and the future of my children.
9. I am an amazing role model for my children.
10. These daily challenges I face make me stronger.

and a bonus one:

   11. I am not defined by the title Mum, I am my own person

Tips on using these affirmations:

Now, this is the more tricky part. How do I remember these and how do I put them into practice to start living more positively?

1. As soon as you wake up and your feet touch the floor. I find this one a little challenging as my mind is already racing with getting the kids ready for Kindy and getting myself ready for work. 
2. Write them on your bathroom mirror. Use a whiteboard pen and write them above your head on the mirror the night before so you see them in the morning with a fresh mind whilst getting ready. (I love this one, as my husband also sees them, it helps to introduce positive affirmations into his day also)
3. When you have your morning coffee or tea. (This is when you seem to be able to stop and enjoy if only 2 minutes to yourself) 
4. Before you go to sleep at night. Do some journaling and write them down, and say them out loud.
5. In the car on your commute to work. Put post-it notes on the dashboard so it grabs your attention as soon as you get in the car.
6. Put them as a background on your phone. You would be surprised how often you pick up your phone during the day. If you see it you will be subconsciously read it and take notes.
7. Write it on the wall. You can get wall stickers, or even just print out some A4 pages with affirmations. You can frame them and change them over when you have memorized them. 
8. Flashcards. Make yourself some flashcards, similar to the suggestion above. You could use a stand to stand them in and put them on your desk at work.
9. Make a recording. If you don't work at a desk, make a recording on your voice memos and play it back when you are driving or resting (I know resting is easier said than done with Children.
10. SAY THEM OUT LOUD! The best way to remember them is to say them repeatedly out loud. 

In conclusion, I do believe if you use all or even some of the affirmations that I have suggested and some of the tips on how to remember these and keep them on hand you will find that you will start to change thoughts into positive ones and in turn, things seem to feel a little easier. 

Do also remember that if you need to talk to someone, reach out in times when things feel tough. Friends, or family that are understanding or people you can trust. Surround yourself with like-minded people. 

I'm sure you have heard the saying 'you are the average of the 5 people you are closest to'. If you have negative friends, distance yourselves from them.

If you are in a habit of watching dramatized reality (not so real) TV and feeling down, don't watch them and switch to something more uplifting and educational. 

If you are feeling a little lonely, reach out to someone or even get lost in a podcast. 

Always remember that you ARE doing a great job, you ARE loved and you ARE needed.

A smile takes the same amount of energy as a frown. So keep smiling and thinking positive and see your world become brighter.