For a very long time I knew I needed to work on doing daily affirmations to have a more optimistic outlook in life and to love myself more. Yet being a mom can be so so time consuming. As moms we often focus so much on giving to others that we neglect what can actually still make us a better happier parent, and altogether a better example to our children and those around us. So how to find time to do positive daily affirmations to find motivation when life is so so busy?

As they often say, youth is waisted on the young explain what this quote means. Lately I have realized that I couldn’t agree more. I have been often guilty without even realizing of not being grateful of what my body can do for me over the years. I have focused too much instead on what I don’t like. Such as my physical appearance, having an extra pound or two on me, or having a bump on my nose rather than a perfectly straight  nose. I struggled with acne since the age of 12 and I took that burden with me for over 20 years before being able to achieve clear skin. Having so much inflammation on my face has often brought me into tears and shame. Not to even mention dealing with all the stretched out skin from delivering 4 beautiful children.

As I am nearing my birthday I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life and how my body is aging. Truth is these past few years I have not always been very grateful for my body. But knowing that also helped me work on it. It’s been interesting for me to learn that as my body has been aging and I have started to lose a few functions or two, I have actually learned to love my body more than ever. But it took some tweaks with the way I did things to get there.

For me it all started with earlier this year when I started my second round of accutane to treat acne. It’s a super powerful meditation with high dosages of Vitamin A. So high it can damage your liver and other functions so it needs to be monitored. I was lucky enough that I didn’t suffer from any of that during my treatment. Except for one rare side effect that I did get instead.       I started losing more hair than usual. The side effect was said to last for about a year. Sure enough though my beautiful hair did lose quite a bit of volume throughout the process and it did not stop as fast as I wanted it to. I had perfect skin now but I was losing my hair.

My hair has been perfectly healthy since I was a little girl. It has always been thick, shiny, strong. My hair has never suffered from permanent damage and it grows so fast and so healthy in fact that I have to trim it every month at least an inch to keep it from growing too fast. Over the years I have met many women who had the complete opposite problem than mine and for me it was incomprehensible that they could be struggling with hair growth and hair volume. Yet, I never once stood in the middle when struggling with acne and left the house overjoyed that I had the healthiest hair on the planet. That is when it hit me. I was guilty of not taking the time to do daily affirmations and moments of gratitude for what did work well on my body. too many times I had focused too much on what I didn’t like rather that what I did.

But I also didn’t have the time to sit down and do long meditations where I would take the time to find out what I liked about myself. truth is some days I just couldn’t even stand looking at myself in the mirror. My pivotal moment was when I finally found the perfect time of the day where I as usually already in a relaxed and calm state and not surrounded by noise or feeling negative emotions. For me a bad time is when I am often getting ready of the day. I tend to be rushed and fixate on what I don’t like rather than what I do.

So here is what I started doing instead:

I started to do daily affirmations while taking a shower or a bath.

Shower time is the perfect moment to not only give yourself love. Many times even working in the make up industry I have noticed that a lot of women rub make up and lotion on in an angry way. This is something I have been guilty of too. So I am learning that when putting on soap and oil, which I do in the shower, to treat myself as if I was a client and I wasn’t treating my own body. So do it with gentleness and in a calming way.

I then also have time to rub my feet and feel grateful for them. Rub my ankles and thank them for what they do. Thank my knees for working properly. Thank my gut for digesting food. Thank my hands for and fingers for properly functioning and still being here. Thank my ears for hearing. My eyes for seeing. My nose for smelling. My tongue for tasting. My hormones for functioning and helping me to grow, to sleep you repeated this , to have children, and to sleep. My hair for being here and growing. My skin for feeling and being a protection over my body. My heart for being strong. My lungs for functioning. My brain for properly functioning.

Truth is many of you will not be able to say that all of their bodily functions are hole and properly work. The secret is to still thank even the parts that aren’t so “whole” for being there. And when something is missing, to thank what is still there. Focus on something else instead.

This exercise can be done as fast as 1 to 2 minutes.

The secret is to remember that our body is an instrument that allows us to live this mortal life. That there is beauty even in what is imperfect.

Gratefulness will make us aware of what we do have and now wait until it’s gone and realize we had taken it for granted.

Gratefulness will slowly bring to the surface what is good and diminish the focus on what is not so our favorite.

How does this also play into a person’s  daily motivation. When I am more confident about yourself, something that I have had to work on both innerly and outwardly, I believe more in my capabilities. I speak more confidently, I interact in a happier way with people. I am more prone to speak up in a group with other people. I believe more that I am capable of pursuing a difficult taks, a dream, or things that seem hard or nearly impossible. When I love myself more I smile more and I think less about myself when I am out and about. I also am better at giving love and compliments to others as well. Self love ultimately makes love go around in a full circle in society. Family and friend and strangers will all benefit more from it.

If you liked this article and found this tip helpful, feel free to share your thoughts or any other additional ideas of what you do to make time to be grateful in the comments section.