Life update: I was brave and did something great last weekend! ☺️
It was an honor to become a NAMI-NYC In Our Own Voice trainer and train a group of awesome new presenters who will join me in continuing to share our stories to talk openly about mental health and mental health conditions in our communities.
🏆 100000000 accomplishment points for me for challenging myself and prioritizing my purpose work. 😁
I’m excited to share that my friend and fellow NAMI-NYC Ending the Silence and In Our Own Voice co-presenter, Lady Charmaine Day, asked me to be on her podcast, Taboo Talk! In this episode I share my 21 pearls of wisdom on how to live a good life as well as my journey living in recovery. Feel free to check it out here or in the video below!
✨It’s our final day of affirmations! ✨
Here is what I’ve come up with for today:
I welcome positive change and transformation into my life. I am equipped to face any challenge that comes my way. I am grateful for what I’m learning and I’m ready to continue on my journey.
Reflection: I did it! I challenged myself to create, write, and reflect every day for 7 days. I’m so proud of myself for keeping at it. I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. I’m ready for what’s next and will keep doing my best 😇.
It’s day 4 already! 🦋
Here are my affirmations:
I’m capable of achieving the goals I set for myself. My efforts help me to succeed. I embrace my power and believe in myself. I’m focused on what I know I can do.
Reflection: I remember the dreams I have every night. Some of those dreams don’t have much significance, while others I can tell are showing me something important.
A few days ago I had a dream of a silkworm (a first for me despite often having animal symbols in my dreams). The silkworm was following me not too far away. Although I was confused and a bit scared of it, it continued to linger going from its larvae state to flying toward me as a mature moth. Similar to a butterfly, a moth too represents the ongoing cycles of transformation and rebirth.
I’ve been on an ongoing wave of transitions for the past year and it’s taken a lot out of me. The stress and the uncertainty alone has caused my confidence to plummet. I choose right now though, to push forward and use the silkworm from my dream as a guide to not give up on myself or my goals. I may continue to be challenged, but I know my efforts will pay off.
As I prepare for my first NAMI-NYC Expressive Arts workshop for the year (I will share the flyer soon), I want to go back and share the affirmations we closed off each workshop with last year. I’m grateful for every opportunity I have to creatively express myself with a community I care so much about ♥️.
I’ve spent most of this year grieving, feeling like I lost so much. Chasing after validation and the affection of other people’s presence. Wondering where I went wrong, why I felt so alone, and why I wasn’t worthy or couldn’t be worthy of the love I so desperately thought I needed.
Twelve months in and I finally understand why I was placed in a space where I couldn’t go anywhere but into myself. I’ve faced and battled with the uglier parts of me, one part being the thoughts of unworthiness largely due to how the little girl inside of me felt.
She thought that no one loved her and she wasn’t good enough just as she was. She thought that she had to change and shift into what others liked so she can finally be accepted and finally feel love, too.
But, I’ve sat with that little girl and told her that she’s more than worthy of all the love that’s out there WITHOUT having to change or hide one single thing about herself. She can enjoy organizing, and reading books, learning, trying new things, and comfort items… so many comfort items! She can be scared and feel all her feelings. She can be sensitive because that 100% OK. She can be creative and show love to others. She can be goofy and tell funny jokes. She can even make mistakes and feel uncomfortable, too. She can stand up for herself, work on her relationships and be loved while STILL BEING 100% herself.
I want that little girl to know that I love her. I know she still gets scared sometimes. I want her to trust me when I tell her that I got us and she doesn’t have to be scared anymore. That we are powerful and stepping into our season of deserving.
Affirmation and intention for 2023: I am a celebration. I am worthy of love and love flows to me effortlessly. I don’t chase, I attract. I am a magnet for abundance. I release any and everything that isn’t a part of my higher purpose. I am walking in my power.
Write a comforting letter to yourself.
I’ll go first 💌
Dear Nina,
I know it’s been a really rough couple of weeks and you feel alone, exhausted, burnt out, and the depression is feeling heavier than usual. I know your thoughts have been racing and you’re wondering if things will get better. I know you’ve been yearning for something you think is impossible to experience, but I want you to know that you’re doing the best you can and it’s OK not to feel OK right now. It’s OK to feel negative emotions sometimes. I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You’ve accomplished so much and you’re worthy of all the happiness and love in the world. You are not void of new experiences and opportunities and this is definitely not the end-all for you. You are so much more and have so much to offer this world. You are amazing, beautiful, and talented beyond measure. I love you so much. We’ll get through this together. You deserve to be celebrated.
Love,
SparklyWarTanks
You can also find this prompt https in The Pencil Case on The Mighty!
In honor of World Mental Health Day let’s reflect and share our experiences, perspectives, and goals!
Pick a leaf and follow the prompt that goes with that leaf:
1. 🍁 Share a mental health victory you’ve had this year.
2. 🌱 Write a list of three ways you can prioritize your mental health this week.
3. ☘️ Finish this sentence: My mental health is important because
____________________.
I choose all three leaves today ☺️
🍁: This year I continued therapy and grew so much in self-love!
🌱: Three ways I can prioritize my mental health is by getting enough sleep (8-9 hours), eating breakfast every day, and writing in my journal to manage my overthinking.
☘️: My mental health is important because I deserve to feel at peace within myself and feel proud of how far I’ve come on my journey.
You can also find this prompt on The Mighty here.
Everything good that you’ve experienced and will experience is coming your way simply because you deserve it. You deserve peace, success, celebration, abundance, wealth, support, and love. Nothing you do or don’t do will pave the way for something that is already yours. It’s yours because you exist. Keep on taking one step at a time and one breath at a time. Keep moving forward. Believe in goodness.
I love you and I’m proud of you.
Say this affirmation with me: I trust and believe in myself to manage and navigate through tough situations.
No matter how challenging the situation or how frustrated I feel, I’m capable of navigating each tough situation I’m presented with. I am capable of problem solving, self-care, and doing what is necessary to move forward. I trust in my intuition. I know who I am. I love myself. I believe in my capabilities.
SparklyWarTanks 