Chronic Illness Series: An Alternative Affirmation Practice

Listen as you rest and/or fall asleep to these supportive truths which you may or may not like to call affirmations. They have been especially put together for people who live with ongoing health challenges. They are not intended to paste over your reality but to support you by reminding you of some of the truths that can be too easily lost sight of when you are unwell day after day.

Transcript

Hello,

Thank you for joining me.

Regularly reminding myself of the truths I want to hold on to has helped me enormously.

When we're chronically unwell it's all too easy,

Although entirely normal,

To get lost in undermining mental cul-de-sacs.

The following assurances and reminders,

Which you may or may not like to call affirmations,

Have helped me get back on track mentally many times,

But they're not intended to cover over or deny difficult feelings.

I'm not suggesting you paste over your reality with positive thoughts.

Suppressing emotions will never lead to better health.

And we're not trying to be anywhere else but in the present.

If we chase something outside of that,

Making peace conditional on things being different to how they are,

We'll be making the present even harder to be with.

We need to know that who we are,

And what we have,

Is enough for peace to be possible in the here and now.

And we need to know that we are enough,

And worthy,

And whole,

As we are,

No matter how unwell.

So in this practice I'll share with you some of the kinds of truths I've found supportive.

I hope you benefit from releasing your more familiar mind chatter for a while and echoing some of these statements with me.

Perhaps let them soak in while you're resting if that feels good.

Tune into your body and feel its responses to the words.

Notice sensations in your body as you listen to help you understand your own needs better.

Repeat what's helpful and leave what's not for you.

Just disregard those that don't feel authentic to you today.

If it doesn't feel right,

Please just let it fall away.

Trust your body to tell you what's good for you.

And feel free to doze and come in and out of consciousness if that's what your body wants most.

Maybe something in particular will resonate deeply and you can take that with you into the rest of your day.

However you experience them,

I hope you feel strengthened by recalling these truths that support you.

I hope you feel safe and seen and reminded that you are not alone in your experiences.

So make yourself really comfortable now.

Settling well,

Slowly,

Deeply.

Make those adjustments for maximum comfort that you know work for you.

And feel yourself firm and weighted on the surface that you're resting on.

You're arriving here with what you bring and whatever that is and however you are,

That's okay.

Take a soft breath in through the belly,

Expanding the belly and a soft out-breath,

Moving the navel towards the spine on the exhale.

Breathe in through the nose and breathe out slowly through the mouth.

Breathing in deeply,

Belly expanding and breathing out slowly and steadily,

Belly deflating.

Breathe in,

Receiving the oxygen coming in and breathe out,

Releasing and letting go of what you no longer need.

As you breathe in,

Feel the chest and the heart area opening and on the out-breath feeling mental activity dissolving.

As you feel into the sensations of your body,

Soft and heavy and whole,

Resting here.

Now allow the body to breathe itself in its own time.

And feel each statement in your body.

If it feels right and okay to you,

Then echo it with me a second time and feel into all the ways your body responds.

I greet myself and take time for myself right now.

I greet myself and take time for myself right now.

I am safe here to rest and to feel.

I am safe here to rest and to feel.

The earth is holding me.

The earth is holding me.

I trust my inner wisdom.

I trust my inner wisdom.

I care for my soul and find ways to nourish it.

I care for my soul and find ways to nourish it.

I deserve my full and attentive care.

I deserve my full and attentive care.

Daily acceptance is my peaceful path.

Daily acceptance is my peaceful path.

Surrender is the journey.

Surrender is the journey.

There is so much energy to be saved in letting go.

There is so much energy to be saved in letting go.

My body's energy today is not a reflection of my full radiance.

My body's energy today is not a reflection of my full radiance.

The energy of my soul can be healthy even when my body is depleted and unwell.

The energy of my soul can be healthy even when my body is depleted and unwell.

I listen to my body and its needs.

I listen to my body and its needs.

I listen to what my body has to say to me with patience and curiosity.

I listen to what my body has to say to me with patience and curiosity.

I choose what is healing for my body.

I choose what is healing for my body.

I know my body better than anyone else.

I know my body better than anyone else.

Even amidst my health challenges,

I inhabit my body fully.

Even amidst my health challenges,

I inhabit my body fully.

I do not abandon myself by denying my needs or pretending I'm okay when I'm not.

I do not abandon myself by denying my needs or pretending I'm okay when I'm not.

I do not apologize for my body,

My limits or who I am.

I do not apologize for my body,

My limits or who I am.

I do not strive,

Strain,

Push or rush.

I do not strive,

Strain,

Push or rush.

I move with awareness within my limits.

I move with awareness within my limits.

I choose gently and paced with lightness and ease wherever possible.

I choose gently and paced with lightness and ease wherever possible.

I ground myself in ways that work for me throughout the day.

I ground myself in ways that work for me throughout the day.

A successful day is one in which I have cared for myself deeply,

Tenderly and well.

A successful day is one in which I have cared for myself deeply,

Tenderly and well.

Resting is productive.

Resting is productive.

When I am especially unwell or struggling,

Resting is especially productive.

When I am especially unwell or struggling,

Resting is especially productive.

Enabling deep rest is taking action.

Enabling deep rest is taking action.

When I rest,

I release and let go emotionally and physically.

When I rest,

I release and let go emotionally and physically.

I trust in my body and release fear.

I trust in my body and release fear.

Fullness is not achieved through doing.

Fullness is not achieved through doing.

My physical body may change,

But my worth does not.

My physical body may change,

But my worth does not.

I am healthy in how I rest and how I treat myself.

I am healthy in how I rest and how I treat myself.

My physical health is not a measure of me.

My physical health is not a measure of me.

I am not wrong,

I am not failing because my body is unwell.

I am not wrong,

And I am not failing because my body is unwell.

I am whole.

I am whole.

Life is expressing itself through me.

I am part of life living itself.

Life is expressing itself through me.

I am part of life living itself.

I welcome all of me.

All of my feelings,

Desires and needs are allowed.

I welcome all of me.

All of my feelings,

Desires and needs are allowed.

I choose to see and feel the parts of me I may usually tend to hide.

I choose to see and to feel the parts of me I may usually tend to hide.

I allow myself to feel my emotions without judgment.

I give them space to be here.

I allow myself to feel my emotions without judgment.

I give them space to be here.

It's safe here to feel the impact of my life situation.

It's safe here to feel the impact of my life situation.

I am a compassionate presence for my difficult feelings.

I am a compassionate presence for my difficult feelings.

I am open-hearted towards myself and my feelings.

I am open-hearted towards myself and my feelings.

I am enough.

I am enough.

I especially allow any grief to surface.

Grief for lost dreams,

Identities,

Anything taken away by ill health.

I especially allow any grief to surface.

Grief for lost dreams,

Identities,

Anything taken away by ill health.

I give the grief and losses permission to be here in this safe space.

I give the grief and losses permission to be here in this safe space.

I accept that the ebb and flow of ongoing grieving is an inevitable part of living with illness.

I accept that the ebb and flow of ongoing grieving is an inevitable part of living with illness.

I accept that the ebb and flow of ongoing grieving is an inevitable part of living with illness.

I allow grief to arise and trust it will flow through me in the right time.

I allow grief to arise and trust it will flow through me in the right time.

I allow grief to arise and trust it will flow through me in the right time.

I allow grief to arise and trust it will flow through me in the right time.

I trust in the flow of emotions and energies within me.

I trust in the flow of emotions and energies within me.

I am aware when my inner critic interrupts my self-compassionate presence and I gently come back to be my best friend.

I am aware when my inner critic interrupts my self-compassionate presence and I gently come back to be my best friend.

I am aware when my inner critic interrupts my self-compassionate presence and I gently come back to be my best friend.

In a world where wellness is rewarded and admired,

It takes courage to be honest about difficult health situations.

In a world where wellness is rewarded and admired,

It takes courage to be honest about difficult health situations.

I choose honesty where it is safe.

I choose honesty where it is safe.

I seek out supportive spaces and people.

I seek out supportive spaces and people.

I release my own unhelpful expectations and beliefs about my health.

I release my own unhelpful expectations and beliefs about my health.

I release my own unhelpful expectations and beliefs about my health.

I release the impact on me of others' expectations and beliefs about my health.

I release the impact on me of others' expectations and beliefs about my health.

I release the impact on me of others' expectations and beliefs about my health.

I release the impact on me of others' expectations and beliefs about my health.

I speak up for myself and what I need.

I speak up for myself and what I need.

I protect my peace at all costs.

I protect my peace at all costs.

I hold myself close.

I hold my own hand.

I hold myself close.

I hold my own hand.

Holding myself gently and patiently.

I'm always holding a loving space for myself.

Holding myself gently and patiently.

Holding myself gently and patiently.

I'm always holding a loving space for myself.

I'm always holding a loving space for myself.

I'm always holding a loving space for myself.

As we end,

Maybe you can thank yourself for showing up here today for yourself.

Thank the earth for holding you and thank life for breathing you.

And thank life for breathing you.

Thank you for being with me today.

I wish you peace.

Reviews

I needed to find someone who could understand what life is really like for those who live in constant pain and have lost hope. Then I found you! Thank you, a thousand times over. I needed this.

This is such a wise and compassionate meditation. Thank you so much 🙏

✨💗🙏💗✨Thank you Lorna, this is just what I needed…. Your voice and words are so wonderfully soothing and affirming, and I love that these statements also acknowledge how our bodies may be feeling without diminishing the effect of the positive ‘affirmations’.
Also, for me, no distractions (from background music) made listening and being present a deeper experience.
This is now in my spiritual self-care toolbox.
Many blessings ✨💗🙏💗✨

Lorna, your heartfelt statements of supportive truths, offer an honest, realistic and compassionate pathway to being/living with chronic illness. Thank you for sharing. Namaste...🕊️😌🕊️

I LOVE THIS SOOOOOO MUCH. THANK YOU FROM MY HEART TO YOURS 💜💜💜

These words were so soothing and much needed. Thank you for saying what I didn’t have the words for but so desperately needed to hear.

Thank you. I really need this at the moment and I appreciate it so much.

I very much needed to hear these compassionate messages. Especially those on grief. It's so difficult living with chronic illness (myself with ME/CFS), these reminders and affirmations brought me peace. Thank you so so much 🙏

🙏🙏… Thank you. Loved this….very affirming and positive.

This is such a supportive practice! Thank you so much!

Thank you for this supportive practice, grounded in the truth of experiencing chronic illness 🙏