3 Affirmations for your New Year

New year, new me, as the saying goes. As cheesy as it might seem , it’s a nice sentiment to carry into New Year’s Eve and beyond. Given the crappy year that was 2020, bringing some calm, positive energy into 2021 may be a huge challenge. Something small that keeps me going are brief affirmations I can repeat at any time of day. For all your anxieties and worries, it can be nice to have those little phrases to latch on to. They can be that slight push you need to keep pushing forward and go tackle those anxieties and get through them. I have three that have stuck with me through the years, and now seems like the right time to pass them on.

1. This too shall pass

An oldie but a goodie, this one comes from my mother while I was in high school. I had a lot, and I mean a lot of anxiety and depression issues when I was younger. When I would feel a panic attack coming, or feel totally numb from a depressive episode, I always believed that this was forever. I’d always be anxious, I’d always have chest pains and stomach pains, and headaches and shivers. I’d never get a job, I’d never live on my own, I’d never do this and that.

The key words here are “always” and “never”. Those are permanent words. Something I learned in therapy is that nothing lasts forever. While that means you can’t always be happy 24/7, (a bummer, I know), that means that the bad times won’t last forever either. Every panic attack I’ve had, even the bad ones that had me collapsing in the middle of the hall on school days, has come and gone. They didn’t last forever. They sucked, but afterward, I was able to breathe again and eventually get back on my feet.

When I would curl up in a ball and cry, it was always my mom who was there telling me, “This too shall pass”, meaning those panic attacks. I say it out loud when I’m having my stressful moments. Saying it aloud is important. You have to remind yourself that no matter how awful you’re feeling, it’ll get better. There’s always something on the other side. No matter what your body and brain tell you, you can assure yourself that it will pass.

2. You got this

What I like about this one is that it works well for yourself and for others as well. “You got this” is my go to phrase when motivating my friends. It’s nice and easy, and it’s fun to say with gusto and some exclamation points. The enthusiasm this phrase brings out the desire to overcome and conquer your fears, no matter how big or small. Filing your taxes? You got this! Getting through a rough shift at work? You got this! Struggling to open a jar of mayonnaise? You got this!

It sounds silly, but psyching yourself up like that can make all the difference. I’ve often found it hard to be my own cheerleader, and this phrase helps me get that self-love back. An overwhelming amount of people struggle with self-esteem, myself included. Thoughts like “I’m not good enough” and “I can’t do that” put us down all the time. There are so many missed opportunities out there because we doubt ourselves before we even get started. If I hadn’t consistently told myself “You got this” throughout 2020, I would’ve missed so many amazing things. This year, I took on more responsibility at my job, got closer with my colleagues, started doing a daily yoga practice, moving into a new apartment with some awesome friends, became a Discord moderator, and published more articles right here on Vocal. Looking back, I’m surprised I ever doubted myself in the first place; those events are the best things that happened to me this year. So just keep repeating, “You got this” to yourself before you take a dive into something new or intimidating. You might love what you get into.

3. There’s no truth to that

This is another of my older ones, and I still have it on a sticky note on my desk to this day. In eight years of therapy, this was one of the best tools my therapist ever gave me. What I like about this phrase is that it forces you to directly address that inner critic that haunts us all. When your brain starts with those nasty, anxious thoughts, you can immediately turn around and say, “There’s no truth to that.”

A lot of times, we tend to focus on the negative and believe all those terrible things are true. I’m sure we’ve all heard the expression about the 100 compliments and the one negative comment. We’ll always remember that negative one and take it to heart and make it a lot bigger than it needs to be. This phrase is a way to remind yourself to check those thoughts before they spiral out of control. Everybody doesn’t hate you. You’re not worthless. You have value. There’s no truth to the poisonous stuff anxiety can put in your head when you’re feeling down and vulnerable. You’re important and you matter, and if you have to drop a “there’s no truth to that” bomb on your inner critic, then by all means let it fly.

The bottom line is that you deserve a fresh start to 2021. You made it! No more than ever it’s important to kick things off with a healthy mindset. Happy New Year, and just remember: You got this!