Positive Pumpkins lead to positive affirmations during our October Community Connections

amandaelevated
Oct 25, 2023
2 min read

Bruin Point hosted our East Carbon Community Connections and we saw so many creative pumpkins with many families enjoying quality time around the table.

Over 50 youth attended with family members to paint pumpkins, eat delicious treats and education facts behind words of Encouragement for our youth.

"You may not think that daily mantras can make much of a difference but using positive affirmations for children can be life-changing," expressed Alysa Potter, Carbon Prevention Specialist with Four Corners Behavioral Health.

There is an established connection between having low self esteem and behavioral problems. It has always been a struggle for parents and teachers alike to control a child’s behavior. One of the newest ideas to help is positive affirmations. A positive affirmation is defined as a positive statement that is said to yourself to challenge negative thoughts. When we feel worthless we will act like we are, but when we are confident in ourselves we will behave better.

One of the key psychological theories is ‘self-affirmations theory’ (Steele 1988). There are studies that show that we can maintain our self-esteem and integrity by telling ourselves – affirming, positive thoughts. The development of this theory has led to neuroscientific research, aimed at seeing changes in the brain when we say affirmations. There is MRI evidence that shows certain neural pathways are increased in the prefrontal cortex when people practice self-affirmations.

The act of reprogramming our brain is called attention destiny. This means that the more effort someone puts into a thought, the more it gets drilled into our brain. It is not just enough to have one child implement this into their life, it needs to be in the culture of a classroom or household in order for it to really work. Not only does it help for an individual to say positive statements about themselves, but it is also beneficial if the individual is in an environment surrounded by positivity.

A daily affirmation for kids may be just a few simple words, but they can pack a powerful punch if used consistently. Parents and teachers can use positive affirmation cards or print positive messages on post-it notes to help their children develop a positive mindset and outlook. Here is a list of affirmations for positive self-talk sticky notes:

I am perfect just the way I am.

I am enough.

I am an amazing person. It's okay to make mistakes.

I am happy.I forgive people.

I forgive myself.

I use kind words to express my feelings.

I treat others the way I like to be treated.

I learn from my mistakes.

I am grateful for all that I have.

I can do a lot more than I think.

I believe in myself.

I am a kind and caring person.