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Don’t Be A Bully Month was in August, but the overall idea applies all year ’round. As a new school year kicks off, let us remind each other to a be a friend, and not a bully. Bullying is not okay; we need to lift each other up and not put each other down.
Check out some Reels we recently posted on our Instagram. Use them as a pick-me-up whenever you’re feeling down. 🧡🩷🩵
And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Here is a positivity exercise for everyone to try! I hope it is something that can help boost your mood a little bit! 😇
The world celebrates Positive Thinking Day every year on the 13th of September. We celebrate this day to remind people that positive thinking has many rewards. I know many people think that thinking positively is some kind of sham but I want you to know that it does make a difference.
Having too much negativity in your life can really weigh you down and you don’t want that. Negativity also has a huge impact on your emotional and mental health which is why you want to avoid it. Trying to have more positive thoughts can lead to increased happiness as well as optimism which can help you to live longer! We all want to live a little longer, right?
People who have a positive outlook on life tend to cope better with stress and negative emotions. These are just some of the benefits of learning to be more positive in the life you’re living. Trying to see the brighter side of things isn’t as hard as it might seem. I mean it took me a while but eventually, I did learn.
I used to have such a negative outlook on life. It was bad situation after bad situation and I hated it. It never seemed to be what I wanted it to be. Now, I know that’s something that I can control. Being negative all the time was draining. I didn’t want to feel that way anymore so I tried to see the bright side everything. Let me tell you, it gave me a new perspective on life.
Read the Benefits of Positive Thinking for Body and Mind from Very Well Mind.
Check out Kailey’s post How To Make Your Own Positivity Jar to learn how to add more positivity to your life!
Today we are celebrating Mayor Belinda LaForce of Arkansas’ National Day of Encouragement. We celebrate this day to remind the people around us that encouragement does matter. It may seem like a very small gesture to encourage someone but small gestures can go a long way. Today is devoted to lifting the spirits of the those around us while making a positive impact at the same time.
Encouraging people is what’s going to keep the world going. With just a few words, we can inspire our friends, family and even coworkers to reach for the stars and chase their dreams. Sometimes, when we want to give up, all we need is to hear the right words. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I was feeling this way growing up. All I wanted was for someone to encourage me not to give up on my dreams.
Because I was lacking encouragement while I was growing up, I made sure to always encourage my friends and family so they didn’t give up on their dreams either. I know my life would be so different if I had a few words of encouragement but I’m also proud of all of the obstacles I’ve faced because they’ve given me the ability to grow.
So, today I want you to remember why encouragement matters. First and foremost, it’s free! It costs absolutely nothing to offer your friends, family and even strangers a few reassuring words. The right words have the ability to remind us to never give up, to keep going. There are so many different ways to encourage the people around us and with that comes so many benefits. Encouragement is self-motivating while teaching us to become better role models.
Take today to encourage the people around you to keep going.
How will you be encouraging the people around you today?
Read We Live Life Young’s article Why We Need To Encourage Others 🙂
Check out TurningPointCT’s post Advice Vs. Encouragement here on the website for a cute comic about encouragement!
Therell shares who one of his heroes/role models is in his life. Who are yours?
Yes, I’m starting this week off with another post about Encanto but that’s not a bad thing. The movie is full of wonderful life lessons and characters who remind us of ourselves. One character that stuck out the most to me was the movie’s lead, Mirabel. She’s a true role model for all of us.
At one point or another, we’ve felt the exact same way as she did throughout the movie. She grew up in a home where she felt like she didn’t fit in even though she tried her best to. Mirabel was made to feel unimportant and inadequate by her Abuela because she doesn’t have a gift like the rest of her family. But this is far from the truth, she’s the most important family member of all.
The Abuela was incredibly hard on Mirabel. She constantly made her feel like she wasn’t good enough for not having a gift. She did her best do her part as a member of the Madrigal family but everyone made her feel like she was just getting in the way. Her home then becomes in trouble and she tried to warn everyone but nobody believes her. She felt that saving the miracle would make her a hero.
Eventually she realizes that no matter what she does to save her family and their home, it wasn’t going to be enough. But she knows her worth. She loves her family and everything that it embodies with or without the magic. She was what her family needed all along. Someone to remind them that they were more than the things they could do. Mirabel shows us that she has what it takes to be a hero, magic or not.
Growing up I wish I had someone like Mirabel to show me that it was okay to be imperfect. I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere. I felt like I tried to be someone I wasn’t. Everyone was so hard on her but that never changed the way she felt about herself and that’s something I truly strive for. To be wholeheartedly me, no matter what anyone has to say. She did what she did and fought for what she believed in because that’s what was right.
Despite our struggles, we can make it out on top. We may not have powers or special abilities but there is something unique about all of us. We have to remind ourselves that we’re enough, especially when we’re feeling low. Even when Mirabel was feeling low and inadequate, she made sure to always remind her family that they were enough. She taught Luisa that it’s okay not to be strong and Isabela that it’s okay to be imperfect. Though she has no real gift, she has the power of love and support and that is magic in itself.
Mirabel Madrigal is my new role model and I wouldn’t change a thing about that.
Here’s the song, All Of You, that Mirabel sings to and with her family at the end of the movie! In the song, Mirabel and her family sing about how they’re more than their magic. How what matters is their whole being, who they are as people. Check it out below! 🙂
Read USA Today’s article What Disney’s ‘Encanto’ teaches us about self-worth and overcoming intergenerational family trauma on their website!
Check out my post Reminding Yourself That You Are Enough here on TuringPointCT.org! 🙂
Positive self-love affirmations can have a huge impact on both our self-esteem and our self-worth. Now, let’s talk about the difference between self-esteem and self-worth. Our self-esteem is often based on how much we like and appreciate ourselves for who we are. On the other hand, self-worth is naturally knowing that we have some sort of value outside of our own abilities.
We know that there is power in finding people or objects that will boost our confidence. We can’t always rely on outside entities to do this for us though. Sometimes, we have to be able to do it for ourselves. Honestly, I think that we should be our own biggest fan. Positive self-love affirmations can really help with this!
Believe it or not, the negative self-talk that we engage in is a learned behavior. The use of positive self-love affirmations can change negative self-talk. I mean this in the sense that it can decrease, and even stop, negative self-talk from happening. These affirmations help us to rewire our brains to accept more positivity.
You can practice self-love affirmations in a variety of ways! A lot of people, including myself, like to practice affirmations verbally to themselves. If you’re not into that, you can even practice it by writing your affirmations down somewhere. Some people even turn their affirmations into mantras for meditations. How you choose to do it is really up to you! It’s all about making YOU feel good!
Here are 3 self-love affirmations that I love:
You can find more positive self-love affirmations here! 🙂
Also check out my post Reminding Yourself That You Are Enough here on TurningPointCT.org!
Tough situations and long, exhausting days can leave you feeling like you are undeserving of self-love, which is why it’s so important to practice self-love intentionally. Especially on your bad days.
Here are some signs that you might need to be practicing a little more self-love:
If any of that sounds eerily familiar to you, then it sounds like you might need to be practicing a little more self-love.
I suppose we should start off by talking about what self-love is. I feel as though a lot of people don’t really know what that is and that’s okay. We’re going to talk about it together!
Self-love is allowing yourself kindness, understanding, and compassion. It’s all about valuing your own wants and needs as a priority. Self-love is knowing your worth. When you genuinely love yourself, you accept your strengths and weaknesses without giving yourself a hard time about it. You love yourself for all that you are and encourage growth instead.
I’ll admit, practicing self-love isn’t easy but it’s necessary. I had no idea how important it was until I hit what felt like rock bottom. We often feel like we are undeserving of self-love but that’s when we need it the most. That’s why it’s so important to practice self-love, especially on your bad days.
When you have a bad day, it can be really difficult to show yourself the self-love you need. You may find yourself bottling up your emotions or even beating yourself up over mistakes you might have made. Feeling this way can lead to negative emotions and negative language towards yourself, which isn’t great. Our bad days are when we need self-love the most.
Practicing self-love allows you to be more compassionate towards yourself when you’re struggling. It also gives you the opportunity to learn and grow as a person, rather than giving yourself a hard time. Self-love can help you move on in a more sincere and positive way.
Read Psychology Today’s The Power of Self-Love and Self-Compassion here.
Bonus self-care treat! Learn how to make a Positivity Jar with our Project Coordinator, Kailey! 🙂
TurningPointCT.org was developed by young people in Connecticut who are in recovery from mental health and substance use issues. We know what it’s like to feel alone, stressed, worried, sad, and angry. We’ve lived through the ups and downs of self-harm, drugs and alcohol, and the struggle to find help.
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