By now many people heard of positive affirmations and how well they can work for building self-esteem or confidence. They’re generally short, positive phrases that relate to whatever the person my be struggling with. People say positive affirmations in the bathroom mirror, on their commute to work or while waiting to pick kids up from school.
The phrases vary from person to person, but the sentiment is always the same, building the person up. Jen Butler, the woman behind the Instagram page, jenbutlersays, put a new spin on positive affirmations that others may want to try. Butler explains in her video that she decided to do an experiment by speaking to herself in the mirror like she speaks to her dog.
The results were surprising to the comedian. Of course there were feelings of ridiculousness, but Butler noticed she actually started to feel better. Initially the experiment was supposed to last 30 days, but with the results being so positive, she says she may keep it up.
“I did not do anything or talk to anyone between when I opened my eyeballs and shimmied my little tush on into the bathroom and stared in the mirror. And then was like, ‘You’re a little baby angel. It’s the babiest little angel,’ and something about having that aggressive, intense, ridiculous love first thing in the morning just absolutely terrified any sort of insecurities into fight, flight or freeze, and then they just shut down,” Butler explains.
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People often talk to their pets in an especially happy, over-the-top tone, giving them praise for simply existing, but humans aren’t usually that kind to themselves. Based on the comments, the comedian may have just unlocked a new way to do positive self-talk.
“Absolutely LOVE this! On my very first day, using the very words I use on my furry baby, I said ‘I love you so much, you bring joy to the world by simply existing and you teach us so much on a daily basis. Thank-you for being part of our family and loving us so much,’ I had no idea how much I needed to hear that,” one person writes.
“This is so good because I realized that I say to my dog every day ‘you are handsome, and smart, and successful, and I am so proud of you’ but I don’t even say that to myself,” someone says.
“I’m starting tomorrow talking to myself like I talk to my cat. So tomorrow I full expect to have an incredible day like the squishiest mamasita Bonita conchita burrito Dorito should,” another shares.
“Why does the thought of doing this for myself absolutely terrify me and bring me to tears,” a commenter asks.
So, if you’ve ever needed motivation to start doing your daily affirmations, just go ahead, stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself what a good human you are. You have the fluffiest best tush there ever was.