Affirmations for Survivors (& Why I Write Them) | Healing is the Best Revenge Podcast, Episode 1 Transcript

1: Affirmations for survivors (& why I write them) 💕

This is a transcript of my podcast, Healing is the Best Revenge, a podcast for survivors who reject pedestals and perfection to discuss the politics of survivorship, community care, and our often-unconventional pathways towards healing.

In the inaugural episode, I share affirmations for healing and radical self-love, created by a survivor, for fellow survivors. I discuss the importance - & difficulty - of hearing “I believe you” and the role of affirmations in my healing process. I also share about why I write affirmations for survivors.

[Karina]: Hi, I’m Karina Hagelin and this is Healing is the Best Revenge, a podcast for survivors who reject pedestals and perfection to discuss the politics of survivorship, community care, and our often-unconventional pathways towards healing.

And in that nature and on that note, this is a very messy DIY podcast. You may hear my cats; I have three cats, two of which are a Siamese mix and very vocal, um, in the background or the construction next door. I’m chronically ill and disabled and often recording this podcast via my voice notes app from bed. So yeah, just wanted to start off with a messy disclaimer.

I have been working on a deck of affirmation cards for survivors for [big sigh] oh, I don’t know how long at this point. But we’re getting closer to bringing it into the world! And so on that note, I thought I’d share some affirmations for radical self-love and healing, for survivors, by a survivor. Feel free to repeat these after me or simply listen along. I also invite you to jot any affirmations down that you feel called to. Do what feels right for you in this moment, right now, and try to trust yourself and the wisdom of your bodymind as much as you can.

These affirmations are from my first zine of survivor affirmations which you can find in my shop at karinahagelin.etsy.com if you’re interested; I’ll link to it in the show notes. Without further ado, here are some affirmations for you, sweet friend:

· I have survived 100% of my worst days; I can get through this too

· I believe in myself

· I’m still here

· I am strong; I am allowed to be sensitive too

· I do the vest best I can and that is enough

· Healing is not linear

· I am lovable

· I will continue to grow and nurture myself with the tenderness I deserve

· When everyday is a battle, it’s okay to lose some days

· I radically accept myself

· It wasn’t my fault

· There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Asking for help is one of the bravest, most admirable, things I can do

· Friends who “don’t want to pick a side” aren’t on my side

· There is bravery in being soft

· My body belongs to me and me alone

· It’s okay to be angry

· My process is my process

· Crying is an understandable reaction to what I’ve been through. When I cry, I release my sadness, my fear, and my anxiety

· I am loved and brave and strong and made of magic

· I don’t owe my abuser my forgiveness. I don’t have to rebuild a relationship with anyone I choose to forgive

· I may, or I will, never be the same again. That’s okay

· I will move from surviving to thriving

· Being vulnerable and talking about my experiences is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s powerful and creates space for other survivors to share their stories too

· I am more than my trauma

· I am capable

· When I practice self-love, that is knowledge

· When I practice self-care, that is power

· I am a force to be reckoned with

· There are so many things to live for

· Really, really, really good things are coming

· I trust my gut; I appreciate my intuition for protecting me

· I don’t owe anybody my story

· I am empowered to choose who gets access to my time, energy, and attention because not everyone deserves it

· Healing is a marathon, not a race

· Slow progress is still progress

· It can be difficult to work through this but it will be worth it; and finally,

· I am not alone. Survivors exist in multitudes, in galaxies. There are whole communities and movements of us

And these affirmations are from my first zine, Affirmations for Survivors, which I wrote in 2018.

I wrote this zine because as survivors, we often don’t even hear those three simple words, that affirmation of “I BELIEVE YOU”. I know that I need to be reminded of these things and if I need to be reminded of these things, other folks probably need to as well. So, in the spirit of radical vulnerability, I wanted to write and share these affirmations for people like you and people like me, people like us. For survivors and for victims and folks who may relate to these experiences but maybe don’t identify with those words, yet. Because there are so many ways to be a survivor and it’s always hard and I hope that these affirmations are able to act as a gentle salve to soothe our tender wounds because words have power.

[giggles] These affirmations definitely felt silly and cheesy to me at first, when I was in a place where I felt really disempowered and really angry about it. Which was important and understandable and a necessary part of my healing process. And I got to a place where I needed and wanted affirmations. I wrote my own because a lot of the ones out there aren’t trauma-informed or survivor-centered. and I wanted something I could repeat to myself because even if I didn’t believe those words yet, even if I can’t believe those words today, I know that someday, I will. Sometimes, I do.

I want to share these because I believe in myself and my experiences and I believe in you and: I believe you.

I wanted to share these as an act of care and solidarity with and for other survivors.

And/also I know how hard it is to hear “I BELIEVE YOU”. When I hear those words, over a decade into my journey of working deliberating and intentionally and [big sigh] so hard towards healing, I burst out sobbing because of all the times people didn’t tell me that or people said something like, I don’t believe you, you’re making this up, you’re just trying to get attention and so on and so on. You all know what it’s like to hear all the hateful & horrible & hurtful things people will say to you when you’re just trying to seek support, to protect your community, to be authentic and honest and transparent about your experiences and your life and what you’ve been through and are dealing with.

[sigh]

So, that is what I will leave you with today. As always, take what you need and leave the rest behind. Feel free to adapt and rewrite these affirmations to create something unique that works for you. And until next time, I believe you. I believe you. I believe you.