Archive for December, 2002
Affirmative Aspirations: Positive statements of self-worth and acceptance
2002 has been a stressful time for so many people and the holiday season can add to that stress. While the holidays may offer joyous festivities with family and friends, it’s not unusual to feel additional stress during this time of tight schedules with so many things to do.
Acknowledging the stresses of the holiday season, I’d like to suggest affirmative aspirations as an alternative to the tradition of making resolutions to start the New Year.
New Year’s resolutions often derive from the negative judgments we hold about ourselves, the “shoulds” that we feel we are not living up to. We end up deriding ourselves when we find that we have abandoned these resolutions weeks or months later.
Instead of setting these types of resolutions, I encourage you to reflect on what is most important to you and to affirm that in your daily life. Affirmative aspirations are most effective when stated in the first person (“I”), present tense (confirming that it is already true) and reviewed on a daily basis.
Example: Upon reflection, I recognize that spending more time with my family is a priority and an aspiration for myself. I also notice that I often give more of my time to work than I would like, which reduces the time I have to spend with my family.
Affirmation: I am enjoying spending more time with my family each week while still successfully maintaining my commitments in my work.
Minding Your Stress 