5 ways to affirm yourself this holiday season

Written by the Self Care Untamed Editorial Team

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

5 Gratitude Affirmations for the Holidays

For many of us, the holiday season is a time of celebration, joy, reflection, and love. But for others, it can be a time of stress, loneliness, anxiety, grief, and overwhelm. No matter what the holidays look like for you, it’s important to prioritize self-care. 

Gratitude: A Powerful Tool

Gratitude is the act of being thankful or showing appreciation. It’s an amazing tool that can help improve your mood, reduce stress, draw your attention to the present, and boost your well-being. 

Naming and focusing on the things we’re grateful for helps shift our perspective. It’s so easy to get swept up in our negative thoughts or everything that seems to be going wrong around us. Our experiences of those things matter. And, practicing gratitude can help us to cultivate a more balanced outlook by seeing things in a different light. 

Other benefits of practicing gratitude include improved emotional well-being, relationships, feelings of connection, empathy, compassion, and increased resilience. Higher levels of gratitude have also been linked to lower levels of anxiety and depression. 

What are Gratitude Affirmations?

Affirmations are positive phrases or statements you can use to challenge unhelpful thoughts. They are simple and easy to tailor to your needs, and can help you replace negative self-talk and feel more empowered. When you center affirmations around the theme of gratitude, you can increase thoughts and feelings of joy and thankfulness.  

There are many ways to incorporate affirmations into your day. You can spend a few minutes repeating them to yourself out loud or silently. You might write them down on sticky notes and leave them in places where you’re likely to see them. If you meditate, you can incorporate them into your practice, slowly rehearsing them as you inhale and exhale. Try a few different ways until you find one that feels right for you. 

5 Gratitude Affirmations for the Holidays 

You can create your own (we encourage you to!), but we’ve come up with 5 gratitude affirmations you can repeat and share all season long. 

1. I am worthy. 

Gratitude begins within. What better place is there to start than with yourself? Throughout the year, and especially during the holidays, you’re likely focusing on different areas of your life and making sure your loved ones feel cared for and celebrated. But you are worthy, too. You are worthy of love, peace, rest, compassion, and kindness. It’s time to remind yourself!

2. I am grateful for and welcome the abundance in my life. 

Abundance can look like many different things. It could be the beautiful and bountiful friendships in your life. It could be the streak of days when you’ve felt better after a health flare up. Your ability to use your time to engage in activities you love like reading, gardening, or reviving your hobbies are an example of abundance. Expressing gratitude for abundance means being thankful for the fullness of your life. 

3. I am present in this moment. 

For many, the holidays are a difficult time of year. If you are isolated, grieving, lack social support, have limited financial resources, are coping with physical or mental health issues, or don’t have the flexibility to use your time how you want to, the long stretch of holidays at the end of the year can feel daunting. Focusing on the present can help create some distance with the things that stress you out and create a brief, but powerful moment of relief. 

4. I am connected to my mind and body, and I do what I can to take care of myself.

This may not seem like a gratitude affirmation, but it is! Your mind and body are constantly providing cues for what you need. And you build self-awareness when you give yourself permission to explore them. Naming your needs lets you honor those cues by choosing the best way to take care of yourself. With this powerful statement, you’re expressing gratitude for your ability to meet your own needs.  

5. I invite gratitude into my heart and mind daily.

The holidays are the perfect time to reflect on all that you are, all that you have, and your experiences. Repeating this affirmation fosters happiness and awe that can make your holidays more enjoyable. But, we love this affirmation because it invites us to be thankful during the holiday season and beyond. If you don’t have an established gratitude practice, this affirmation is a great way to start one!

Make Gratitude Affirmations Part of Your Routine

To get the most out of these affirmations, add them to your daily routine. Dedicate a few moments each day to your gratitude practice. Settle in, take a deep breath, and close your eyes if it feels comfortable. As you repeat your affirmations, visualize yourself feeling the positive emotions each statement evokes. Allow yourself to believe the power of each statement. It can truly transform your experience! 

Tis the season! May your holidays be filled with gratitude, self-care, rest, and peace. 

Sources

Positive Psychology, Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It?, Mar 2019, https://positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations/#positive-affirmations 

Psychology Today, Cultivating a Gratitude Habit for Improved Well-Being, Nov 2023, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-school-walls/202304/cultivating-a-gratitude-habit-for-improved-well-being 

Psychology Today, The Power of Gratitude, Nov 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nudging-ahead/202211/the-power-of-gratitude