Mental Health & The Power of Affirmations

This is a highly sensitive topic yet it's something we need to normalise to feel comfortable talking about, and that is everyone's mental health. 

When I found out I had a stroke, it took a while to process it. My thoughts would spiral out of control and whilst I never got to the edge or the tipping point, I had the inner strength to know I needed to do something about it because I knew I didn't want to be alive if I was stuck feeling these debilitating symptoms every single second of every single day. To entertain the thoughts of not wanting to be alive and live like this scared me. 

There are two ways I want to approach this topic. The first is, I have found the term "Mental Health" to be thrown around dangerously in allopathic medicine. I have experienced first hand how damaging this can be when someone just isn't listening to you yet they are forcing a diagnosis on you or putting something down to mental health because they don't know how to find the root cause of a problem.

It is reckless, ignorant and detrimental to gaslight. One shouldn't have to second guess themselves or wind up thinking they are overreacting, this in turn can cause major mental health issues. So, it is of my opinion due to my experience, to not settle for the first or second opinion from a doctor or specialist but to keep going, keep searching for answers and don't give up, there is the right person out there to help you.

Leading into my second point, did you know, over 65,000 Australian's attempt suicide each year?

3139 Australian's took their own life in 2020, on average that is about 9 deaths per day (which is double the road toll). Check out the other statistics here from Life Line.

Males have consistently higher rates of suicide than females

Males are 3 to 4 times more likely to take their own life than females. 

A local teacher told me about a suicide attempt from a child that was 9 years old and it rattled me to my core.

These numbers were highlighted for me recently because a dear friends brother took his own life. I attended the funeral and it was a room filled with so much love and pain of losing someone that was utterly adored by all.

I am fortunate to not have lost someone in my immediate circle to suicide but I have now been to several funerals due to suicide and I just had no idea, like many others, how badly they were suffering. 

"Suicide and self-harm can affect people of all ages, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and occupation." - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

I feel everyones pain and it drives me even more to make a difference in this world to help people. 

As a parent, we try our best with what we know, to raise our little ones. All we can do is give our children the tools to navigate the challenges of life, as we cannot always be there to protect them. 

However, sometimes, we just don't know what we don't know. So allow me to bring awareness into your home of how to cultivate a positive thought system from a young age. 

Challenges, difficult times, hardship or heartache will always be there. The more we grow and more success we obtain, the bigger the issues we face. It takes constant work, working on ones mindset to overcome this. 

Affirmations are simple yet powerful tool to strengthen the muscle of the mind. Practising positive affirmations each day invites a positive outlook on life and this perspective is everything. The way we view the world changes our experience of it.

Affirmations help build mental resilience, courage and confidence to soar through each day.

Most importantly, the power of affirmations allows one to find inner peace. Cultivating self-love, truly understanding how to love yourself because happiness comes from within. 

Now is the time to start and create a positive new habit in your home, making affirmations a part of your child's daily routine. Infant, toddler or at school, children are sponges and absorb what they are exposed to because they are predominately in the theta brainwave state, which means they have that direct access to the subconscious mind. 

As we become adults, we all have unresolved trauma from our childhood whether we know it or not. Building a solid foundation from a young age won't avoid trauma but it means one will be better equipped to deal with it later on. A positive mindset shortens the recovery time of hardship.

I am in no way saying affirmations are THE answer to saving someone's life, but I strongly believe they are a part of the well-being puzzle, to build a strong mindset and mental resilience. Everything flows better when we have a good mindset; more motivation to exercise and eat healthier food, more productive with work or projects, social engagements etc. 

I speak from experience, my own personal experience, how affirmations largely contributed to improving my quality of life, along with exercise, better food choices, sleep routine, sunrise and sunsets, being in nature, frequencies, breath-work, qi qong and meditation and my list goes on and on!

I like to view affirmations as an invisible shield, they protect you from the bad stuff and allow the good inside. 

My goal is to reach many homes, hearts and hands. Homes that are desperate for help, struggling parents or parents that want to do more for their children but don't know where to start. Reaching the hands of children that are coming out the other side of the pandemic damaged, depressed, anxious and scared. Children that are being bullied and turning to suicide or the bullies that have broken homes and take it out on others (hurt people tend to hurt people). Children lacking self-confidence, no friends, learning difficulties, body issues, disabilities or behavioural issues.

This is also for the children that are happy, the ones that know what they want to be when they grow up, the ones with a great bunch of friends, the ones that enjoy their own company and getting lost in books, the ones that dream big and love using their imagination.

Children's affirmation cards are available to purchase, a small tool to make a major impact on mental health as your child navigates this crazy thing we call life.

With love, 

Carla xx