You likely know the importance of being kind to other people, but are you remembering to be kind to yourself? As you deal with the stressors in your hectic life and focus on caring for family and friends, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. You may find it easier to be compassionate to others than yourself.

Start paying attention to the thoughts you say to yourself each day. Are you speaking to yourself in a kind and compassionate manner or are you being critical and judgmental? The thoughts you tell yourself each day have a significant impact on how you handle stressors and perceive the world. If you are also dealing with a mental health disorder, such as depression or anxiety, it may feel overwhelming trying to combat your negative thoughts.

A good technique for becoming more self-compassionate is to say affirmations. What are affirmations? They are positive statements that you repeat daily to overcome negative thoughts about yourself. What are the benefits of affirmations? You can boost your self-esteem, confidence, and positive outlook by saying affirmations. They can even help you control your mood, conquer fear, increase self-worth and self-love, and get rid of self-doubt. Saying affirmations can boost mental health!

How many affirmations should you say a day, and which affirmations should you say?

It is up to you how many affirmations you say each day and which ones you say. One idea is to compose your own list of approximately ten to say to yourself twice per day. You could decide to spend five minutes on it each morning and night, and repeat each affirmation ten times. Or, you could start slowly with just one or two affirmations and work up to saying more.  It is really about doing whatever works best for you, not about a certain number or following specific rules.

You can write the affirmations that you want to say as long as they are worded in a positive way. Often affirmations start with the phrase, “I am.” For example, “I am beautiful.” Or, they can be statements like, “I love myself.”  Or, “It’s ok to make mistakes.”  As you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, you can reverse them to turn them into affirmations. Sometimes, it can be difficult to think of affirmations to say. Use these resources to help you select affirmations.

103 Fearless Self Love Affirmations (+ More Uplifting Practices)

50 Positive Affirmations You Should Tell Yourself

25 Daily Affirmations to Improve Your Mindset

25 Self Love Affirmations for Building Self Compassion

The Queen Shirley Foundation (QSF) offers virtual therapeutic workshops focusing on art, music, and drama. Working on your mental health can be fun when you join our community.