While dealing with her own struggles with negative self-talk, #AerieREAL Ambassador Atiya Bloom started integrating positive affirmations into her life. Not only can she now say how much this practice has changed her mental wellness, but how it also inspired her to start her own business, Eleven11 Affirmations. Learn why she says being equipped with a “positivity toolkit” is game changing.

Tell us how Eleven11 Affirmations started.

Eleven11 Affirmations didn’t start off as a formal business with a website, Instagram page, or even a product – it actually started in therapy sessions. 

During my first year of college, I came to a point where I simply didn’t want to be a negative person anymore. Instead, I wanted to think more positive and understand self-love. To help, my anxiety therapist taught me how to write affirmations and explained that the thoughts we fill our minds have a direct impact on how we feel about ourselves and what we’re able to achieve. 

Sure, at first I felt silly talking to myself and writing these things down. However, the more I worked with the affirmations by writing them down and repeating them out loud, I gradually started to see a change in myself. I was happier, more confident, and less anxious.

After experiencing such a huge shift in my mindset, I was called to share with others about the power of positive thinking and adopting positive affirmations as a lifestyle.  

I start my day with affirmations as soon as I
open my eyes. I like to check-in with myself and affirm how I feel to set the tone for my day.

How do you use these affirmations in your daily life and why do you think they’re such useful tool to empower you throughout your day? 

I start my day with affirmations as soon as I open my eyes. I like to check-in with myself and affirm how I feel to set the tone for my day. 

Some days, I feel anxious – so I’ll say something like, “Today, I notice anxious feelings. This is totally normal and I am totally okay.” 

This statement takes the pressure off to force positivity. Instead, I am acknowledging my own feelings and giving myself words of encouragement to take on the day. 

I also like to pull an Eleven11 affirmation card each morning to guide me throughout the day. Whenever I encounter a challenging interaction or thoughts that take me off track, I go back to the affirmation I pulled earlier in the morning. 

How have your affirmations helped you? 

That’s the thing about positive affirmations. They’re a useful tool that you can access anytime and anywhere. My affirmation card deck helps you learn new affirmations for your positivity toolkit and they offer inspiration for journal prompts or meditation. 

I’ve even played recordings of positive affirmations being spoken to help me get over a pretty bad breakup. Trust me, it helps!

I personally carry my affirmation cards with me. Plus, pulling a positive affirmation card has become a fun routine that my friends and I do before we toast or leave dinner together! Overall, affirmations have helped me pick more positive thoughts to fill my mind with. The more positive I become, it also seems that good people and good things follow. Some people refer to this phenomenon as “the law of attraction”. 

Why is mental wellness so important to you? 

Mental wellness is important to me because I’ve had first-hand experience with anxiety and depression since high school. When you don’t prioritize your mental wellness, it begins to spill into other areas of life. Maybe you lose motivation to work or simply lose the motivation to eat or shower! These are all impacts of having poor mental wellness. When I prioritize ways to improve my mental wellness by using affirmations, meditation, and healthy eating I feel stronger and more inspired to show up in the world as my best, truest self!

If someone was new to using affirmations, how would you suggest they start using them within their day? 

Most people think that they don’t need positive affirmations until they notice how often they speak or think negatively. I challenge each person to try a mental-diet. For 5 consecutive days, try not to say a single negative thought. Negative thoughts are those that bring doubt, fear, anxiety, and so on. If you catch yourself thinking negatively, restart the challenge to day 1. Make it a game or ask a friend to join the challenge in order to add some accountability!

The purpose of this practice is to begin observing if your thoughts are helping you or hurting you. Once you recognize there’s room to improve your thoughts, replace each negative thought with a positive spin. With continuous practice, you’ll start to see the world with new eyes. 

When you don’t prioritize
your mental wellness, it
begins to spill into other
areas of life.

Do you have a favorite affirmation that you find that you use often? 

My top affirmation is, “This is where I am for now and that is entirely okay.” I wrote this affirmation at the beach beneath the moonlight, at a time in my life when I felt very stuck. That positive affirmation reminds me to be present and grateful for everything I have now, and it takes the pressure off the desire to want to know what’s happening next at each stage of life. 

This affirmation also inspired the logo for Eleven11 Affirmations – a lady sitting within a crescent moon. 

What advice would you give someone who wants to turn their passion into a side hustle/business?

The best advice for women who want to turn their passion into a side hustle or start a business is to become your own biggest fan. So many people around you will have their own opinion about your decision to start a business or even ideas about how you should run your business. It can be easy to get lost in other’s ideas of what’s best, but you have to trust yourself.  Dedicate yourself to learning how to always improve your business, then look in the mirror and say, “I am an entrepreneur.” Now own it, Boss Lady!” No matter what they say.

Learn more about Atiya and her business, Eleven11 Affirmations, here!

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