Author: Melissa Bouwer

I turn worriers into warriors - I am passionate about helping people overcome fear, worry and adversity through mindful living, kindness and positive change

Affirmations: Words that have the power to help lessen anxiety and panic

Melissa Bouwer

So what exactly is an affirmation? It’s a statement which challenges your negative thoughts and helps you get into a more positive I believe they work because they drown out all our negative mental chatter with something positive. We can grab on to those words like a bright pink doughnut pool floatie in the dark and tumultuous sea of our own negative thoughts. Then we can hold on tight until those words carry us to calmer seas and warm, sunny shores which mark the beginning of endless possibilities.mindset.

A year as a support group facilitator: These are some of the lessons I have learned…

Melissa Bouwer

Towards the end of last year I was offered the opportunity to facilitate a depression and anxiety support group. I hope that gathering all of these lessons I’ve been privileged enough to learn will inspire you to leap at the opportunity you’re considering running away from.

Levelling up

Melissa Bouwer

We are constantly bombarded with the idea that youth is something we should strive to keep – even if the only way we can hold on to it is by keeping our age a secret! Youth is wonderful when you have it, but it doesn’t last. Instead of letting the world convince you that you should be mourning its loss, change your mindset so that you can celebrate and be proud of the level you’re at and how far you’ve come.

Overwhelmed? Overcome!

Melissa Bouwer

Anxiety causes your body and brain to turn traitorously against you, thereby limiting and frightening you. One of the ways it twists your reality is by causing you to feel completely overwhelmed by even the littlest things. Coping with anxiety means taking control of your life and thoughts in a healthy way, so I sincerely hope these ideas help you overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed and move you to a place of balance and peace.

Put it in a box

Melissa Bouwer

There are times when the best place for your hurt is in a box. When you put it there you can find joy in the present, find comfort in the people who love you and find peace in the act of letting go and letting be. You will find that if you open your mind, you will learn valuable lessons about life, find blessings in disguise and discover strengths you never imagined you had. And if you open your heart, you will find that despite the hurt, you will be able to trust again.

Do it badly

Melissa Bouwer

You can and should accept help and support, you have to decide to get out of your own way. You have to decide to push through the fear, to be honest with yourself about your limitations and your excuses and to just do what you’re putting off with the only criteria for success being “did the thing”.

All in a name

Melissa Bouwer

Every new endeavour starts with one pivotal first step, that single step which could set a whole new trajectory for your life. My first step in this blogging adventure was to choose a name that would inspire and challenge me to write from the heart. To fill empty space with words of encouragement and shine a light in the darkness for anyone who might need it, even if the only seeker to ever find it is myself.