Do You Use Affirmations To Keep Yourself Going?

As I've mentioned before, I've been making a real push toward health lately, starting with working out, and more mindful eating and stress reduction techniques. I started a new diet just recently that's really more like a healthy eating plan (vs. starving myself or eating a bunch of really weird stuff) and I'm feeling physically better than I've felt in a long, long time. I'm sleeping better, too.

The eating plan is fairly easy to follow, but one thing it's doing is forcing me to kick caffeine - yikes! I have never in my adult life been even one day without caffeine. I have an incredibly high tolerance. I've never been a coffee drinker, but I drink a lot of soda and tea, so this has been tough. Add to this the fact that I'm all but eliminating sugar (unless it's in the form of fruit) and this is a serious adjustment.

I've had some tough moments, and even blew it a time or two over this week (not in huge ways, but I have gone off the plan a time or two). Every time I'm tempted to eat something bad or not work out or not take the time to sit and de-stress, I force myself to have a conversation - with me! I remind myself that I can do this. I imagine myself healthy and toned and living a life of love and laughter and peace. I also remind myself of that great Winston Churchill quote: "When you're going through hell - keep going!"

I used to work with a great lady a few years back - her name was Lillian and she was a widow. She was 77 years old and attending college to get a degree in literature, just because she loved to learn. She traveled a lot (and that's why she worked part-time, to pay for her travel) and she had so much energy and took tremendous enjoyment in just about every part of her life. When something came along to stress her, Lillian always took a breath and said "This, too, shall pass." She told me once that at her age, she realized just how fleeting most of the stuff we let ourselves get bogged down with can be. That was her personal affirmation, and it always worked for her.

So if you see me standing in a corner talking to myself, you'll know I'm just supporting an old friend. And it's high time, too.

Do you have any personal affirmations or inspiring quotes that get you through? Share them with me - I'd love to hear them!

[Ellie DeLano is the author of David And Me Under The Sea: Essays From A Decade With Autism, and also blogs at You can follow Ellie on Facebook and Twitter]

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