Words are one of the most potent forms of practical magic we possess.
With simple word choice, we can either buoy our brain and body or quite literally flood ourselves with anxiety-inducing hormones. It turns out that self-talk really does matter and that the words we choose affect how we experience our reality.
Using intentional affirmations and mantras has been a go-to practice for me for over 20 years. Long before I knew the neuroscience of word choice, I took refuge in positive sayings simply because it made me feel better. When I consciously center myself in high-frequency phrases, I notice that I’m better able to manage anxiety, stress, depression and the general overwhelm of being human.
A few months ago I shared this mantra and the ways it was expanding and lightening me. I still say that one almost everyday to remind myself to see possibility and to reconnect with the miracle of life. It’s easy to get mired by routines and obligations, and to me that sentence feels like taking a deep belly breath.
In the past week I introduced another mantra I found on TikTok that has been incredibly soothing and nurturing. The person who channeled it suggested repeating it 3x when you wake and 3x when you go to bed.
I programmed the affirmation to pop up on my phone at 9am each morning, and I say it at will throughout the day when I’m feeling particularly vulnerable or shaky in myself.
The mantra is:
“I am who I am, and that is enough.”
Woo-sah, right? It still makes me tear up from time to time when I say it.
So far it’s been most useful to soothe the vulnerability hangovers I’ve experienced after interacting with certain people, putting myself out there in my work, or feeling like I was “too much” in certain circumstances.
I invite you to to say it aloud with me right now.
I am who I am, and that is enough.
I am who I am, and that is enough.
I am who I am, and that is enough.
You could even let out a big sigh and place a hand over your heart.
Because who you are is most certainly enough.
May you feel peace, self-acceptance and deep nourishment when you use these potent words. And may you remember the power you possess with your word choice. Use your words like a wand because they are indeed magic.