The 'I Am' Glow

Step into the light of daily affi rmations

Written by Mi Chuinda Levy, Lifestyle Editor Graphic by Emma Gray, Contributing Graphic Artist

Rapper Baby Tate knew what she was talking about when she said “I am healthy. I am wealthy. I am rich. I am that bitch” in the chorus of her 2020 hit song “I Am.” Reciting daily affi rmations like the ones that Baby Tate sings has been proven to be benefi cial in elevating self-love and creating a positive mindset.1

Daily affi rmations are positive phrases or sayings that can be used to combat hypercritical, negative or unhelpful thoughts.2 There’s science behind them too! The act of reciting daily affi rmations primarily stems from the self affi rmation theory of social psychologist, Claude Steele.3 According to Steele, people are motivated to maintain favorable views of themselves—and many do so through affi rming various aspects of the self, such as personality, appearance, motivations, goals and more4

Daily affi rmations can also allow people to be at peace with themselves and feel morally grounded, as proven by the psychology theory of self-concept by researchers Geoff rey Cohen and David Sherman.5 They found that the global narrative humans keep about themselves is highly fl exible and could be shaped with consistent practice over an extended period of time.6

By no means is self-affi rmation through daily affi rmations meant to promote the narrative of being perfect or above anyone else. When practicing daily affi rmations, it is important to go into it with the mindset and goal of creating a feeling of being competent and content in the areas of your life that are most valuable to you. Daily affi rmations are about creating a feeling of being “moral, fl exible and solid.”7

Try your hand at daily affi rmations through these four tips to help guide you on your journey of self-love and affi rmation.

1 Angermann , Marlena. “A Guide to Positive Affirmations for Self-Love.” Utopia, May 23, 2022. 2 Catherine Moore, Psychologist. “Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science behind It?” PositivePsychology.com, July 12, 2022. 3 Ibid. 4 “Apa Dictionary of Psychology.” American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association. 5 Catherine Moore, Psychologist. “Positive Daily Affi rmations: Is There Science behind It?” PositivePsychology.com, July 12, 2022. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid.

Make it reality.

When using your affi rmations, be sure to state them in present tense. You can do this by starting each affi rmation with phrases such as, “I am,” “I believe” or “ I feel.” There is no right or wrong way to incorporate affi rmations into your life. Maybe you’ll like to speak them aloud, write them down or even simply recite them in your head. All ways are perfectly valid. Manifest these affi rmations into existence by whatever means feel most comfortable to you!

Make it meaningful.

Create affi rmations that are heartfelt and important to you. The more eff ort and thought you put into this, the more rewarding it will be.

Make it consistent.

Practice and repetition are key. Similar to the concept of fake it until you make it, the more frequently you recite the affi rmations, the more likely you are to begin believing them and making them a reality. With that being said, you do not have to use the same affi rmations everyday. Feel free to keep an affi rmation rotation that best represents the energy you’d like to bring into your mindset and space.

Be patient.

It is important to remember that change doesn’t happen overnight, and you should be kind to yourself. Like many good things, it might take time for you to be able to see the changes being made to yourself through daily affi rmations. ■