COVID-19. Coronavirus. Pandemic. Social Distancing. Quarantine.
If I had to take a wild guess, I bet you are probably getting pretty tired of hearing these words and pretty tired of talking about COVID-19. The coronavirus itself is not only unfortunately spreading between humans, it is also spreading into our conversations, our workplaces, our phones, our social media feeds, our inboxes, our TVs, our homes, and most definitely into our thoughts. During this unprecedented time, you, like many of us, might find yourself navigating higher levels of anxiety than you have before.
One of the things we DO have control over is being more mindful of the types of messages and words we are repeating to ourselves. Our thoughts have a lot of power over us and directly impact how we feel. It may seem like our thoughts are largely out of our control, but we actually have more power than we think! During times of transition, uncertainty, stress, or change (which, let’s be honest, we have a lot of right now), positive affirmations can offer us powerful support and help us feel more at ease.
What Is An Affirmation?
An affirmation is really anything we say or think.
By using positive affirmations, we create positive statements to repeat to ourselves in order to help shift our mindset.
Positive affirmations are known to help us shift negative thinking patterns and can help us overcome behaviors we would like to change. They are also proven to lower our stress levels, decrease our anxiety, improve our focus and concentration, improve our confidence, and help us feel more in control of our well-being.
Practicing Positive Affirmations
Begin by thinking about a positive message that you might need to hear. It can be helpful to think of a negative thought you often have about yourself or about a situation. Now, try to imagine the opposite of that thought and put it into a sentence.
You can write them in a journal, write them on your bathroom mirror, write them on a post-it note, write them on your hand, make them the background on your phone, say them out loud to yourself, say them out loud to your pet, send them to your friend—the options are endless. Whatever it is you do, make it work for you and make sure you receive the messages multiple times a day to reap the benefits. Now, repeat this affirmation after me: “I can do this.”
Affirmation Examples
I believe in my ability to get through tough times.
I will not stress over things I cannot control.
The feelings in my body are normal and I fully accept them.
I have everything I need within me.
I am a loving human being.
It’s okay that yesterday felt like a hard day.
I am worthy of good things.
I have an inner sense of calm.
My life is full of love.
I can cultivate the life experiences I want.
I will be present and calm today.
All of my feelings are okay.
I get angry sometimes, but I am full of love.
I can take things one day, or one hour, at a time.
When I go with the flow, my life is easy and filled with joy.
I appreciate my life and find things to be grateful for.
I have been through hard things before and have survived them.
This will not break me.
I let go of what I can’t change and do my best with what I can.
I am going to focus on things I love to get me through this.
This is hard, and I can do hard things.
I am allowed to express pain.
I have the ability to overcome anxiety.
REMEMBER– You also have OPTIONS available to you for help and support through this difficult time.
- EAP: our Employee Assistance Program is offering sessions by video or phone. To make an appointment, contact EAP by calling Wayne Corp. at (502) 451-8262 or (800) 441-1327 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. You can earn 30 points per visit (up to 90 points) toward step 4 when you make an appointment through EAP. Points are awarded when you voluntarily submit a tracker form to N Good Health by faxing it to (502) 666-7667 or emailing it to ngoodhealth@nortonhealthcare.org.
- Employee Emotional Support Team: This is separate from EAP & it was created in partnership with Norton Behavioral Medicine, Norton Women’s Behavioral Services, Norton Sports Health Mental and Performance Services, General Pediatrics Behavioral Health, Heart Failure Behavioral Health, and Norton Cancer Institute Behavioral Oncology. Employees can call (502) 446-5610 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to speak to an emotional support team member, who can help staff process emotions and offer coping tools during this crisis. All calls are completely confidential.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and N Good Health abide by all HIPAA standards and do not share any health information. No personal or appointment information will be shared between the EAP and N Good Health. To receive N Good Health points for using the EAP, submit a tracking form to N Good Health.
Source for affirmations content: https://thoughtcatalog.com/kristen-suleman/2020/04/how-to-use-positive-affirmations-to-soothe-your-covid-19-anxiety/