“I am” Statements are simply affirmations that can be used to influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Used in a positive light, they can help to shift our perspective and bring about a sense of calm, raise self-esteem, lower levels of depression, stress and anxiety and improve the overall quality of our physical, mental and emotional health and general wellbeing.
If you want to feel more confident about that upcoming exam or presentation at work, simply tell yourself “I am going to ace this”. Be realistic, implement an action plan to complement your positive “I am” statement (like actually studying or rehearsing), and repeat your affirmation/s as often as you can. Our brain has a wonderful way of believing what we tell it to so, let’s try telling it something positive for a change hey? Pop the statement on your laptop as a screen saver, write it on post-it notes and stick them around the house/bedroom, make it your ring tone on your phone, write it in your journal, draw what it looks like and repeat it over and over in your head until you believe it. Don’t just challenge that negative self-talk, beat it into the ground!
Remember, a thought plus and action will influence how you feel and then in turn……..how you act. Your mental health and overall success depends on it.
To listen to “The Benefits of Positive Affirmations or I am Statements”, please listen to a podcast recorded for Kiddipedia here. To read some examples of positive, realistic “I am” statements, see the lists below.
“I am…………”
- Enough
- Awesome
- Important
- Lucky
- Amazing
- Cool
- Respectful
- Happy
- Brave
- A good friend
- Funny
- Patient
- Faithful
- Loving
- Confident
- Responsible
- Intelligent
- Caring
- Going to get through this…..
A printable list of 45 “I am” Statements for our kids can be found here and a list of 70 “I am” Statements for our teens and adults here.
Pop these lists up somewhere they can be easily seen and refer to them daily/weekly. Pick a statement for yourself and/or with your child as a focus for that day or week. Remember to be realistic and implement an action plan to accompany your chosen statement.
(Hint: As you read through the list of “I am” Statements, the first statement that makes you cringe is usually the first one you need to work on 🙂 ).
Kim X
© copyright. May not be reproduced without acknowledgement to the author. Written by Kim Norton 15th August 2022.
