Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash
I hosted a podcast called Health Matters where I interviewed leading health experts. Renee Wiggins, RDN. LD. has mentored, trained and changed lives in the health and wellness industry for over 30 years. She’s a strong believer and encourager in living an authentic, healthy lifestyle. Renee specializes in designing customized lifestyle programs that are tailored to client needs, goals, and habits.
What are affirmations?
“Affirmations, sayings, are words to get you through the day.
“When they say words, when they write or journal on a daily basis, they can get through anything. I want them to look at obstacles as opportunities to something bigger and better.
“These storms are life lessons to make a change in their life for the better. That’s why I wrote, ‘Transformation — Give UP the Struggle.’”
Can affirmations help when you’re stressed?
“Yes, because when people just dwell on the negative like, ‘You’re not going to make it’, they start criticizing themselves and get those negative words in their head. That’s all they hear.
“And what happens is they plant those seeds of negative thoughts when they should be planting positive thoughts in their minds.
“I have one: ‘The past has no power over me unless I let it’. So, for your listeners out there, tell them every day to pick and choose one affirmation. Or they can say that same affirmation over and over again to help lift them through any storm.”
What are different types of affirmations that we can say?
“‘So many trials, so many failures but I refuse to accept the failures.’
“‘Dwelling on the past will paralyze me, keep me stuck in the present so that I cannot move into the future.’
“Or ‘I find myself in the midst of storms while turbulent and unpredictable at times I’m in for the long haul. And other times the storms seem to last only for a moment. Whether I’m in one storm, coming out of a storm or going into a storm I remember it’s not the storm that counts but how I come out in the end.’
“And my mother always says, ‘This too shall pass’. Everybody has heard of that saying.”
How do affirmations help?
“Truly I believe in the words. There are times when I am down, and I put my head down and I might want to cry. But I don’t last in that situation for a long time.
“But when you’re dwelling on the negative, when you can’t do this, when you’re empowered by either divorce or you want to know how to pay this bill etc. if you stay in the negativity, that sort of cesspool, that’s where you’ll stay.
“But if you wake up and put affirmations or scriptures, even scriptures — God will never leave you nor forsake you — all around your house, believe me you keep seeing it and you keep saying it, you start believing in it and when you believe in it your attitude and behaviour changes.”
Why is it important to be with positive people?
“You and I are positive people, Kimberley. But also our friends and family members, people that you know you can trust. People that want to see you succeed. People that want to help you. People that are there for you.
“Yes, they may give you a sharp word or two but it’s not to bring you down but to keep you uplifted. They don’t want to see you stumble, they don’t want to see you fall. They don’t want to see the mistakes.
“Yet they know we’re all going to make mistakes, we’re all going to fail but just as God increases His love you want them to increase their love, not decrease their love. You don’t want them to turn their back on you. You want somebody to be there for you, somebody you can call, somebody you can talk to, email, Skype, whatever they want to choose to do to connect.
“But you want that person to connect. You don’t have to be in the same town, they can be long-distance. But the idea is you want to be able to go to that person and be able to tell them all your going through and they’ll say, ‘Okay, you’ve got 5 minutes to cry. Now let’s go to plan B.’”
What is the difference between praying and saying affirmations?
“First, you always want to give thanks to God. Don’t go in there with, ‘I pray for this, I want this, I want that.’ Pray to God each and every day; morning, noon. Praying — praying to God — He’s listening to you.
“Meditation to me is that I’m listening to what He has to say. So praying is praying, ‘Lord, please get me through this. Give me the strength.’ Not praying for a car, not praying for a house. Praying for the means to get the house or praying for the means to get the job but not necessarily materialistic. That to me is praying.
“To build a deeper relationship with God and He’s hearing you and you’re listening to Him through meditation.
“Now affirmations, or words or phrases or sentences, that some people say, are to help motivate you, to inspire, and uplift you.
“Repeat them over and over again, you get them into your mind, you get them into your bloodstream. Pretty soon you start walking and feeling better because of those affirmations.
“‘I’m standing tall. I’m beautiful. I’m powerful. I love the body that I’m in.’ Saying affirmations like that can help empower you, uplift you, encourage and motivate you.
“I have one: ‘I’m ready to tear down the walls that are holding me back, brick by brick.’ By saying this every day, I can see the walls tearing down. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can see things are changing.”
Since talking with Renee, I’ve been more mindful of what I say — both to others and to myself.
Although the podcast is no longer available, if you’d like a copy of any of the full interview transcript, please send me an email.
This has been an excerpt from the Health Matters Podcast, believing that prayer & Bible study are to the spirit what exercise and healthy eating are to the body.
Blessings on your journey to health.
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