5 affirmations that changed my life

Finding happiness seems to becoming a nearly unreachable goal, people search all over for quick fixes and distractions. I have come to the conclusion that the only way to achieve true happiness is through yourself. Being willing and open to putting hard work in. There is no quick fix I'm afraid. It’s a battle that at some point or another we all have to fight. The new year has just passed and with it the expectation to start a fresh. Rather than tell myself what i should be achieving this year I'm choosing to look back on the important lessons I have learnt and how I can continue to grow with these affirmations in mind.

Accept and acknowledge your past, but do not live in it.

Everyone has felt that nostalgic allure of their past- whether its wanting to go back to a time that made you happy and relive those glory days or being caught up in previous traumas that you have not been able to let go of. I have been guilty of being so wrapped up in my past that I have forgotten to be present. Being present is one of the most positive things you can achieve. At some point you have to look at your past and gently nod to it. Appreciate it for what it was- a lesson or a happy memory- then move forward. It will always be apart of who you are but it doesn’t have to completely engulf you. You are in control of how you perceive your past, you chose the stories that define you and most importantly you have to make the decision to not get left behind in memories that will never change or move.

Be open to new experiences

I’m someone that has always suffered with anxiety, this has stopped me on so many occasions from going out and doing things I wanted to. I made the choice to start pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I took my life into my own to control. I no longer wanted to be on the sidelines of my 20s. Since then I have been lucky enough to meet the most inspiring people and had the confidence to move to Berlin! Being open blows your life up in the most beautiful way. You can’t live your life from behind a computer screen, as appealing as that may sometimes seem. Every single person has so much to offer and the only thing stopping them is themselves. Letting go of fear and comfort can propel you into places you never thought possible. There’s a whole wide world waiting for you out there!

Find something you are passionate about and hold onto it!

Not having something in your life that you are passionate about can be soul crushing. You end up just going through the motions of life with nothing to get you through the days. You watch an entire series on Netflix's in a day, barely blinking. Having something that you can look forward to in your day is amazing. It’s hard to find something you love and there is a common misconception that you have to be good at something to love it. If you love getting paints out and splashing them all over a canvas, even though at the end it is nothing more than splodges of colour, do it! This ties in perfectly with being open to new experiences! Don’t let it be off putting if you don't find something straight away, try everything and anything and create beautiful moments along your journey! Creativity is something we can all lose sight of and forget how important it can be for our well being and mental health. I took up hula hooping 3 years ago, it was something I could focus on to distract myself from manic thoughts, whilst at the same time making exercise fun (something I had always struggled with). I have no intention of making a career out of it, its something just for me. Something that has brought me so much happiness and challenged me! It changed my life in so many ways and I will forever be grateful to it.

Love yourself!

Loving and taking time for yourself is probably my most important affirmation on this list. You can not achieve any of the other 4 without wanting to strive to make yourself happy and better- before that you need to love yourself and feel like you deserve that love. Most young people express difficulty in this. You are beautiful and worthy of love, I can promise you that. Doing things like taking the time out of your day to engage in healing activities such as being in nature, pampering yourself, reading or learning something new and most importantly, each day telling yourself one thing you like about yourself (in the hope that eventually you can say love) can be so healing. It’s not vain to love yourself, it’s essential and empowering. We spend so much of our lives trying to find a partner to love us, we neglect to give ourselves the validation we crave and instead search for it in others. How can you ever accept someone's love if you can’t understand it? You are your most precious asset and you should adore yourself!

Be unashamedly yourself!

As i just said you are amazing! The world is made up of so many different cultures, colours and types of people. You can end up feeling lost in the swarm of it all, wanting nothing more than to just fit in. You second guess yourself and end up coasting on wanting to be a people pleaser to avoid any form of disappointment or confrontation. Social media constantly shows us images and profiles of perfect people which we strive to be. This results in people retreating into themselves and only acting the way they wish to be perceived. The things that make you different are the things that people will admire you for, as much as you are looking at others and comparing your life to theirs , there will be someone doing the same to you. Let go of this. Use all these other affirmations to be who you truly are, be beautifully weird, shout and cry, dance in the streets if you want to! Smile and laugh as much as you please, happiness and love are infectious! Leave this goal of being someone else behind you and embrace all the things that make you wonderfully different.

Obviously I am aware that all these things are so much easier said than done. It’s unrealistic to expect that everyday you will be able to achieve all of these things. Do not beat yourself down, we are human after all. That’s why i have shed the concept of new resolutions and replaced them with affirmations. Something to strive towards rather than a task to accomplish and be broken if you fail. I hope more than anything for a welcoming and understanding future where these things will come naturally, but until then I will work everyday to grow and become someone i can be proud of with the help of these 5 things.