Affirmations have, again and again, helped me get back up. As I gear up to give 2020 a grateful goodbye, I am also honoring the top 20 affirmations that help me work on my dissertation. Some of these are not only particular to the pursuit of a PhD. They also contribute to a mindset that makes any progress possible. If you’re a PhD candidate, I think you’ll find these 20 affirmations especially useful right now. I hope they inspire you to close out 2020 with self-love and compassion. 

I affirm:

1. I remember: “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing”. My dissertation is my priority. I minimize distractions. I set boundaries to protect my time and my energy. I work on my goal towards completion every single day. I allot enough time to do what needs to get done and I curate the proper environment for my productivity.

2. I practice gratitude. There is so much, right now, that makes me thankful. Each day, I write down ten reasons to bask in gratitude. Gratitude helps me feel positive and encouraged.

3. Today, I do my very best. I understand that my best is different today than it was yesterday. My best today changed from my best last week, from my best last month, and from my best before the pandemic and this specific set of challenges. My best right now is still good and worthy of attempt.

4. I respond with kindness. When connecting with my peers, my colleagues, my advisors, and myself, I do so by extending understanding and good energy. My response is always within my control. Kindness is the best way to demonstrate that I recognize others’ humanity, struggle, and circumstances at this moment in time. I transform any negativity thrown my way into love and I hand it back with care and empathy.

5. I create more than I consume. I already read enough. I already collected enough material. I already listened enough. I already asked the right questions. Now is the best time to write and put my ideas together. I focus my energy on what I can do instead of dwelling on what is yet to be done. I have the answers needed to make progress.

6. I clearly communicate my needs. Clarity is kindness. I let others know what is in my heart. I find the right words to express my needs to others and to myself. I listen to my mind, body, and spirit. I respond accordingly. If I feel dehydrated, I drink water. If I feel tired, I gift myself rest. If I need to cry, I hold myself through the tears without judgement.

7. I embrace change. I welcome and honor shifts in my life and in the world around me. I recognize that change is always happening and that it is good and necessary. Change allows for growth.

8. I breathe in self-love and exhale peace. I take time each day to take deep breaths. I use those small moments to feel love towards all parts of my self. As I breathe, I also extend love towards others and focus on feelings of peace and serenity.

9. I give others grace. In this one-of-a-kind-moment-in-time, I judge less and understand more. I know that my reality is my own and that others are on their own journey. I acknowledge that my advisors, my peers, and other PhD students are following their own unique path. Their thoughts and actions reflect their own experience.

10. I embody and stay close to high vibrations. Positive energy surrounds me—I both share it with others and recognize when it is offered to me. I embrace people, experiences, and places that fill me with positivity. By surrounding myself in high vibrations, I make substantial and positive progress.

11. I choose joy. When I encounter a moment that feels lacking in energy or that is negative, I arm myself with the knowledge and faith in my ability to pick the good or summon good. I root myself in happiness.

12. I am deserving. I deserve good things. I deserve growth. I deserve to carry on. I deserve to finish what I started. I deserve to graduate. I deserve to celebrate my accomplishments.

13. I am ready. I am ready to complete my project. I have what it takes to finish my dissertation.

14. I am capable. I can finish my dissertation. I have the wisdom and skills needed to make it to the finish line. I will complete a project that makes me proud.

15. I am loved. God, my family, my sweetheart, my writing group/my friends, my advisors, and many others value, respect, and appreciate me for who I am, always.

16. I am enough. I am good enough to do what I want to do. I am confident that I am showing up as my best self and that I am accepted and worthy. I am content and grateful for who I am right now.

17. I am unique but the same. While my particular life experiences differ from everyone else’s, I am also connected to everyone around me. I seek common good. I fight for justice. I recognize the happiness of others as important as my own. I care about everyone and wish them joy, safety, love, and wealth.

18. What I want makes its way into my life and is attainable. My heart’s desires are mine because they are for me. What is for me, is for me and arrives at the perfect time.

19. I am worthy of progress. I set myself up for success. I do what needs to be done to advance my work and get closer and closer to graduation.

20. My dissertation is almost done. I will finish. I will complete my dissertation. I will turn in my project that aligns with my values and makes me proud.

May these affirmations support you in your journey. Stay safe and hopeful today, tomorrow, and always.

Con cariño,

Jenesis