The majority of sexual abusers exploit their victims’ self-esteem as a vulnerability. Abusers use false validation along with manipulation cloaked as understanding and guidance to gain power and control over their victims. Self-fulfillment can be a powerful tool in sexual abuse prevention. One effective form to gain self-fulfillment and strengthen your confidence is through affirmations. As you nourish your sense of self, abusers are less likely to influence your trust and break your
boundaries.
The following advice can help you implement the power of affirmations into your everyday life and to create a strong foundation of self-care and strength within your own heart and mind.
Use emotional affirmations to fuel your power in prevention.
Think back to a situation when you truly felt safe. What did it feel like? What emotion was connected to that moment? Once you recognize what safety means to you and what it feels like, you can bring those sensations and mentality back into your body while saying “I am safe. I am protected. I am confident in my power”.
Be a source of encouragement, not pressure.
You control the narrative of your life. Outside forces can create stress, obstacles, and even coercion towards being abused. However, you have the power to determine how these outside forces influence your mind and your heart. It’s easy to be influenced by external expectations, and place pressure on yourself. The real challenge is becoming your own source of encouragement. Think back to a past experience when you surpassed something that seemed impossible to overcome at the time. Use that as a base for your self-affirmations during intimidating circumstances:
“I have succeeded before, I can do it once more.”
“You got this.”
“Every small step I take forwards makes a big difference.”
“I trust myself”
“I believe in my instincts and my judgment”
“I am confident. I am capable.”
“My strength will help me continue to rise”
“I honor who I am.”
“I have the courage to say no. I have the bravery to stand up for myself.”
Merge your actions, emotions, and mentality.
The power of affirmations is expanded by connecting verbal affirmations, to positive actions, to an overall confident and secure mentality throughout your life. If you can recognize and act on what you want, need, and already feel about yourself and your life, then the probability that an abuser will be able to exploit these as vulnerabilities is significantly decreased. Taking a moment of self-affirmation every day or every week is already a monumental action towards self-awareness and confidence that will allow you to uphold and uplift your boundaries against abusers.
Prevention is a daily practice, so we encourage you to practice affirmations consistently to truly see their positive impact as a long-term benefit of safety and joy in your life.