It happens to the best of us.

If you’re my kindred spirit, it happens more than you like to admit.

You thought you were fine — awesome, even — handling all of the things in your life and then, a big NO. 

All mental resilience goes out the window. Hormones go wild. Your whole existence feels like a roller coaster you didn't sign up for. You’re angry at the world and every little thing is magically transformed into a problem and it’s hard not to lash out at the people you care about.

Mood swings are very real, and annoying.

Before anything else, it’s okay to admit you’re not perfect or good all the time.

It’s okay to admit that some days, weeks, and seasons are much harder than others.

It’s alright to have hiccups. It’s part of life. You’re part of life.

When you feel as volatile and severe as a storm it feels like you can’t get out of that funk, but you can. You know you can, you’ve done it before.

I figured it might be helpful to share some of the more helpful things I say to myself when I’m in one of those funks.

(Yes, I had a day this weekend.)

Progress, healing, isn’t a straight line.

Taking a more tolerant approach to what’s going on inside of you — because you are trying — can work wonders. If there’s anything close to magic in this world, it’s in our capacity to change our minds and open up our hearts in the middle of hurt.

The most beautiful things about us are often born from hurt.

These affirmations aren’t just about moving through a “bad mood” quickly, but doing it in a way that doesn’t smother or sidestep the truth of it. It’s about looking the root cause of your distress in the eye without being smothered by it.

That means you can actually grow through and be better for it, and in this world, that's kind of a superpower.

The willingness to be so self-aware in those moments is thoroughly about accepting the complexity of who you are. You are dark and light, calm and chaos, weak and strong.

Reading these affirmations, I hope you recognize how far you’ve come. I hope you find some truth you can use next time you feel less than great.

Maybe that truth is that you’re not alone, that it’s natural to mess up, that you’re still all the things you’re proud to be.

11 Affirmations for Mood Swings and Mental Flexibility

1. I’m allowed to feel this way right now.

This doesn’t mean I’m no good. It doesn’t mean I’m a failure or haven’t grown or I’m not trying. It doesn’t mean I give up. It means I’m human and I’ll take that over feeling nothing at all.

2. I can still accept myself.

I am willing to let things be as they are, and I am willing to let myself be as I am. Things are always going to be different again.

3. My body belongs to me. My breath belongs to me. I am here. I am powerful.

(from my book Sleep Rituals)

4. I can endure this.

I can survive this like I’ve survived before. I can walk through the fire. I can weather the storm. I can look pain in the eye and see what’s really going on. I am not blind to myself.

5. I can choose a thought that feels better.

No matter how fixed a thought pattern is, I can choose again. Until another feel-good thought sticks, I am willing to show up and practice it.

(from my book Sleep Affirmations)

6. Relief is never too far away.

At any given moment I am just a few deep breaths away from feeling better. I am just a few deep breaths away from feeling better.

(inspired by my book Sleep Affirmations)

7. I am free to choose the palette of my emotional sky.

(get the art print)

8. Some of my worst moments can be material for the best parts of me.

9. My experiences are not mistakes.

Everything I have gone through has planted something valuable in me or shown me something that I needed to see.

(from my book Morning Affirmations)

10. I am okay.

Earth beneath me. Sky above me. Water within me. Air around me. I am okay.

(get the art print)

11. I am alive. I am alive. I am alive.

. . .

Tell me:

What could you tell yourself when you're "in a mood" that feels supportive and true?

Tell me in the comments and share your own words. Everything you share here helps more than you could know.

Much love,

Jen

P.S. Want affirmations like these in your inbox? Sign up for Tuesday emails and you'll also get my Healing Brave Manifesto, totally free.