We know all this affirmation stuff can feel a little (waves fingers) “woowoo”. But being your own cheerleader is a worthwhile thing to try out! Saying positive things to yourself, until you finally believe them, is a great way to strengthen your confidence and brighten your days. Go on, give it a try. The moments that feel a little silly are the ones you’ve gotta push on through! This is the first step in not GAFing what other people think, and believing in yourself!
For our Paper Project for the Winter 2023-24 Inspire(d), we put together templates for DIY Affirmation Cards! We created two sheets to get you started, and included a blank sheet so you can write as many of your own as you’d like! Special shout-out to Lynsey D. Moritz for creating the amazing illustrations featured on these cards and throughout the entire winter issue!
Once you’ve downloaded and printed your sheets on card stock, cut each page into the eight equal cards. Write in your own affirmations on the blank cards, shuffle your newly-created affirmation card deck, pull out a card, and say it to yourself. Or feel free to pull out a specific one that speaks to you on that day.
I like to say my affirmations with my shoulders back, head high, looking at something in the distance outside (often a tree on the bluff). You could look in the mirror, just say it to the room, or you can even say it silently inside your head!
You are Worthy: Believing in Yourself! (Read the Winter 2023-24 Inspire(d) issue online here.)
I know this affirmation stuff can feel a little (waves fingers) woowoo. It’s awkward to say stuff like “I am worthy,” aloud to yourself. But I think when things start to feel a little silly, you gotta push on through. This is the first step in not caring what other people think and believing in yourself.
This past November, our daughter ran a 5K with the local Girls on the Run group (great program, FYI!), and I volunteered to help on the 5K course. Being the seasoned cheerleader I am, I grabbed some pom poms from the costume bin and contemplated the unicorn wig. Was it too much? Yes. Probably. Was I going to do it anyway? Signs still point to yes.
I put it on before we drove over, because I was afraid I’d decide I didn’t need to be that mom, again. People stared at me. As I waited for the runners to reach my cheering corner, cars slowed down to gawk. I waved (and wavered) a little.
But when those girls came to my section, they were motivated! Unicorn horn-booping commenced, and they were rallied to continue on through the next miles in their run.
And now, as we’re peering straight into 2024, it’s time for you to take the reins. Believe it: You can do this! (Or, shall we all say, “I can do this!”)
This is a great time of year to look back on what you learned over the past 12 months, and what you’d like to do differently for the next 12. It’s also a time when we can be a little hard on ourselves. I know I am. “What?! Another year has gone by and I haven’t gotten that done yet? How can I possibly make new goals and plans when I didn’t even complete last year’s?”
I don’t know how many weeks I wished there was an extra day to get it all done. But there is no extra day. Okay, except this year and every four years after, in leap year. Generally, though, we’ve got to make the time. To take care of ourselves. To go beyond our comfort zones and reach for goals. To remember to rest. And then we’ve got to believe in ourselves and our abilities.
Consider this issue a workbook on tapping into that self-care and self-efficacy. Don’t know that phrase yet? You can learn more about it in Olivia Lynn Schnur’s mental health article in this issue and get tons of great ideas in Lynsey D. Moritz’s story, “Self-care for the Season.” You’ll also read about Community Builders – Alison Bunge Leathers in Lanesboro, Missy Hoch in La Crosse, and Laura & Andy Patten in Viroqua – who believed they could help make their Driftless communities better. Jennifer Sime turns her grief from losing her son, Brendan, into passion for awareness. Jessica Rediske was brave enough to change life directions entirely in 2012 and build up Red-Roxy Quilt Co. in Decorah. All of these people realized they were worthy of their dreams.
So, this season, we encourage you to take a deep breath. Take care of yourself. Get rest. Get inspired. And if you can, get outside. Find inspiration while reading intern Peter Heryla’s story on Larry Reis and his 40 years as a naturalist for Winneshiek County, or while learning about lichen in conservation writer Craig Thompson’s piece. He writes, “Even the most unobtrusive forms of life are essential for a healthy planet.” Lichen are essential, and so are you.
In 1984, as parachute pants landed in clothing outlets and floppy discs took the then nascent computer world by storm, the late, great Harvard biologist Dr. Edward Wilson popularized a term that recalibrated our relationship with the natural world: biophilia. Humans have an innate desire to connect to and interact with nature, Wilson surmised in his book “The Biophilia Hypothesis.” Everyone, he asserted, has “biophilia” embedded deep within their DNA. Simply put, we are hardwired to love nature.
Growing up in rural Alabama, young Wilson had ample opportunities to collect bugs and chase frogs. Deeply influenced by the biological richness of Alabama’s wild places, Wilson would go on to become one of the world’s great theoretical ecologists. His work examining the extinction of species ultimately led him to assume the mantel of ardent conservationist, inspired by nature and concerned for its future.
Perhaps it was biophilia that, in 1872, inspired President Ulysses S. Grant to establish Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park, setting the stage for a conservation movement that would lead to protection of America’s most iconic landscapes. By the early 1900s, America’s national park system was not only rousing legions of citizens to connect with wildlands, it also served as a model for the protection of nature globally. One hundred years hence, in 2008, the citizens of Ecuador voted overwhelmingly to create a new constitution that explicitly recognizes the inalienable right of nature “to exist, persist, and be respected.” Biophilia writ large?
Artwork by Mary Thompson
Closer to home, “tiny” backyard experiences that play to our biophilia can also inspire. Who isn’t moved by the radiant symmetry of a sunflower, yellow-orange petals blazing against an azure sky? Likewise, a sprouting seed inspires the promise of possibility. It boggles the mind to realize a 200-year-old white oak originated from a quarter-sized acorn. Surely it is biophilia that sparks our desire to both connect to and steward nature. A mother robin feeding a nest full of bright eyed young above the front door can inspire pride. Many a neighbor has been heard proudly stating, “our robins just had babies.”
Nature is a potent tonic. It not only inspires, it’s also good for our health. Numerous studies have demonstrated exposure to nature, whether picnicking in a city park or backpacking in a mountain wilderness, can relieve stress, elevate mood, and boost the immune system. Research published in Scientific Reports in 2022 demonstrated a relationship between birds seen or heard and an improvement in mental well-being.
Worried about that job interview? A meditative stroll through the woods can center you. Seeking inspiration for your next artistic endeavor? Butterflies dancing across a sunny meadow will hit the spot. Feeling blue about the state of affairs? A dawn chorus from our feathered friends is just what the doctor ordered.
Let your biophilia intuitively guide you to nature and unlock the awe and inspiration that resides within. After all, according to Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gary Snyder, “nature is not a place to visit, it is home.”
Mary and Craig are avowed biophiliacs. They’ve launched a “local biota rescue” and can be found ferrying spiders, beetles, and moths out of the house and back into the surrounding woods using old sauerkraut jars.
