Positive Affirmations. Listen up – to the person who matters most.

Affirmations. What exactly are they? And why are they important? Affirmations are short, encouraging statements we tell ourselves to hopefully trigger our brains to believe what they’re hearing…aka, the truth. It’s so ironic that we are so quick to listen to the negative, the bad, and the confidence - sucking things about ourselves, when our biggest fan is staring right back at us in the mirror. Imagine hearing encouragement, love, and positive reinforcement every single day loud and clear – and imagine believing it.

Studies show that daily positive affirmations can help rewire the brain into thinking differently, while helping to reduce stress and anxiety. And they’re free!

There has never there been a better time to incorporate this practice than during the blissfully challenging postpartum journey. Every new mom feels self-doubt at times and inevitably compares herself and her weaknesses to those around her. But never forget, this is your story to tell, and you are writing it in your own words. Affirmations can help make your story a positive one, and one filled with love, grace, and self-worth. I am amazing. My baby is beautiful. My body is powerful. I got this. I will be kind to myself today. This too shall pass. I deserve love and happiness.

And as silly as it may feel the first time you practice this positivity, the words will eventually resonate, and you might fall in love with affirmations and your amazing self. Imagine that?

The first time I, personally, tried affirmations, I was shyly looking over my shoulder to see who might be listening. And then…and then…and then…I really sunk into it and said the words aloud that “myself” apparently needed to hear. It was fun to repeat the affirmations while nursing my baby, while driving, before bed, or even while cooking dinner.

These simple truths can help new moms through the challenging times by focusing on all the things you’re doing right. And you’re doing so much right. Just saying that out loud for anyone who needs to hear it.

We enlisted the input of our own Mommy’s Bliss moms to hear how they’ve incorporated affirmations into their daily lives. Let’s hear what these newly positive mamas had to say!

“ I was not big on affirmations during this time, but one specific phrase helped both my husband and me. It was like a commitment to each other and mutual understanding of our priority (sleep). That phrase is “The more he sleeps, the more he sleeps”. 🤣. Profound, I know. This was our reminder that we need to stick to our sleep schedule for the baby. If we did not keep with the regimen and sleep was thrown off, things would snowball, and the sleep issues would keep coming. We were so sleep deprived that we realized sticking to nap times was top priority because “the more he sleeps, the more he sleeps. “

Stephanie

“ My favorite postpartum affirmation was simple – ‘its ok to ask for help!’ That was the one I needed as a daily reminder during the early newborn days. “

Karen

“ I struggled with postpartum depression and feeling like I was all alone on an island. When I started seeing a therapist, she told me to start out each morning with 6 simple words. ‘I am loved. I am capable’. It may seem silly at first, but as the first few days turned into weeks and then months, those 6 words begin to make my days easier. I started to have a more positive viewpoint on the obstacles that came my way each day. Life was still hard, but I felt more prepared to tackle the 'hard'. “

Ashley

“ I had one friend tell me it gets so much better after 8 weeks. Another friend told me it is all about trial & error. So, my affirmations were… ‘It will get easier after 8 weeks’ and ‘Try something different’ – After repeating these, it was easier for me to not get discouraged immediately if something was not going smoothly (changing diapers, tummy time, sleeping, feeding, etc.) “

Sindhu

“ I sheepishly looked in the mirror one day and said, ‘you just did something amazing, and today is going to be great, but not perfect.’ I honestly repeated this every day, and I was right. I love when I’m right. “

Jen

“ Once I discovered affirmations, I learned to love and rely on them. Here are my go-tos…
- This is hard, but I can do hard things.’
- I am learning, and I have to give myself grace, just like I would anyone else learning something new.’
- My daughter is now 3, and I am constantly teaching her to not get frustrated when something does not go right. I try to teach her patience and am constantly reminding her that things take time and practice. Then I realized that I should also speak to myself the same way. I cannot teach her something that I do not practice. So, I say to myself ‘SELF! it's okay to mess up...it's okay to not get it right the first time, keep trying and keep doing your best, that's what really counts.’ “

Melissa

“ ‘Your body is strong. You have a great laugh. People like you. Your baby is beautiful. You are a great daughter and now you are a great mom. Good things are ahead. Let’s do this.’ I got a little carried away but honestly, these work! “

Jackie

“ ‘Get up. Get dressed. Go outside. Put your face in the sun. Enjoy your baby. Smell that neck. Tickle those toes. You are doing great. Enjoy every minute.’ “

Bree

Once you get past the idea of talking to yourself (we all do it anyway), you may find yourself looking forward to your daily affirmations and even missing them when you skip a day. After a few you-on-you pep talks, you just might start to feel better, more positive, and like the best version of you that you can be. We’ll help you get started. Repeat after us...
I am amazing.
My body is powerful.
I can do this.

In conclusion…from our Mommy’s Bliss, Melissa…renaming her Meblissa because this is everything!

“ I constantly try to remind myself to look at all the things I HAVE done, not focus on the things I have not or need to do. We tend to slip into this mindset of climbing up the mountain and focusing on how far we still have left to go and forget to look back and see how far we have come. Allow yourself that victory, give yourself that hi-five! YOU GOT THIS! “

Melissa