I first came across affirmations when I discovered Louise Hay.
At the time, I needed hope.
I’d been through a hysterectomy, and menopause was doing a number on me.
If I’m honest, I felt lost. I felt alone. I looked in the mirror and didn’t quite recognise the woman looking back at me.
My body had changed. My skin had changed. My confidence had taken a knock.
Somewhere along the way, I’d lost a little bit of myself.
So I started repeating affirmations.
“I am enough.” “I love and accept myself.” “I am worthy.”
And they helped.
They gave me a little comfort on the days when I needed it most. They helped me quiet the noise for a while and reminded me that there was another way to think about myself.
But over time, I realised something.
Affirmations don’t create lasting change… at least not on their own.
The words we speak come from our conscious mind, but our deepest wounds often live somewhere much deeper.
They can hide in childhood memories, heartbreak, loss, rejection, and the stories we’ve quietly carried for years.
Perhaps you’ve felt overlooked.
Perhaps you’ve spent your life putting everyone else first.
Perhaps you’ve looked in the mirror during midlife and wondered where the old you went.
Those experiences can leave us with beliefs we didn’t consciously choose.
“I’m not enough.” “I’m too much.” “I’m not lovable.” “I’m not chosen.”
So if we’re standing in front of the mirror saying, “I am worthy of love,”
but a deeper part of us still believes otherwise, it’s no wonder the words don’t always land.
The affirmation isn’t failing.
It’s simply trying to speak to a part of us that’s asking to be heard first.
I’ve come to believe that affirmations are not the destination.
They’re the invitation.
An invitation to become curious.
Why do I believe this about myself?
Where did this story begin?
Is it really true? What would I say to a friend who felt this way?
Healing, I’ve learned, isn’t about pretending we’re fine or forcing ourselves to think positively.
It’s about meeting ourselves with compassion.
It’s about grieving what we’ve lost, celebrating who we’ve become, and giving ourselves permission to write a new story.
These days, my favourite affirmation isn’t, “I have it all together.”
It’s something much gentler.
“I am willing to heal.” “I am willing to trust myself.” “I am willing to believe that I am worthy of love, joy, and new beginnings.”
Because healing isn’t something that happens overnight.
It’s a journey.
For me, that journey led me back to taking care of myself. Looking after my health, my skin, my mindset, my faith, and reconnecting with the woman I’d forgotten was still there.
And here’s what I know now.
The woman I thought I’d lost after my hysterectomy wasn’t gone at all.
She was waiting for me to find my way back to her.
So if you’re reading this and affirmations don’t seem to be working for you, please don’t give up on yourself.
Keep speaking kind words.
But also listen.
Listen to the parts of you that are hurting. The parts that feel forgotten. The parts that simply want to be loved.
Because lasting change doesn’t come from silencing our wounds.
It comes from understanding them, healing them, and realising that we were never broken in the first place.
And maybe the most powerful affirmation of all is this:
“I am becoming the woman I was always meant to be.”
🩷 Your Glow Getter, Hx
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