Energetic Vocabulary word:

A mantra is a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.

Affirmation is a declaration that something is true.

Mindful use of affirmations

An unconscious mantra is the things we say out loud or in our head to ourselves without even paying attention to what we are saying that works as an incantation or prayer to the universe. In other words the announcements we make to our manifesting energy that bring more of the same into our lives.  Energy fields drop when you used negative affirmations. It impacts more than just your mind; your whole system is impacted.

Being mindful of what we are saying to ourselves can be very helpful in shifting our focus and our feelings about ourselves.

Spot their mantras

See if you can help your child spot when they are negatively talking to themselves. Listen to them when they speak in negative tones about themselves. Help them notice what they are saying.

Rewriting their mantras

Now that you can identify them help them identify some new thoughts that might be things they are really looking to hear when they have their negative self talk.

Reinforcing their mantras

Because the thoughts you are trying to replace are often ones they are using under high stress times, you want to help your child get your new mantras in as much as possible in the low stress times first, so you can have access to them in high stress situations more easily. It is challenging to do this under duress.

Here are some ideas on how to make your mantras stick.

• Have new thoughts on sticky notes on the fridge, when an old mantra comes out, have your child go to the fridge and pick a new one.

• Compliment your child often with their mantras. Let them hear positive affirmations coming from you as reinforcement.

• Come up with a key phrase like “Level up!” to indicate to each other when a negative affirmation needs swapped out with a positive one. Let the whole family play.

• Share your ideas of positive affirmations and how you use yours (with age appropriateness of course)

• Make a meme together and post it on their wall.

Play with it. Have fun and commit to being kinder to yourself as well. Being a good role model is always the best bet.