Pocket-sized Therapy: The Power of Positive Affirmations
After moving from Dallas, Riji and her husband Melween hoped to pursue the stereotypical pathway to stardom in Los Angeles. In her vision, she foreshadowed acting in front of cameras, but never would she have imagined living out her days from the back seat of a car. For Riji and her husband, this became their home for 2 years.
Experiencing homelessness and attempting to find stability is a difficult task for anyone. However, because she comes from a Indian/Middle Eastern background, it was difficult to be open about her situation. Many of her peers never questioned her housing situation and commonly associated wealth and privilege with her cultural background. With time, homelessness not only harmed her mental health but also managed to steal her passion for acting.
A trick she discovered to combat negative self-talk was the use of positive affirmations. She did this for some time but noticed it didn’t help better her condition because there was never an action associated with the thought in her head. Once the two were connected, thought and action she was able to find a solution to her living situation, which became the inspiration for AffirmActions.
After 2 years Riji and Melween finally found stability once they both got jobs at The Giving Keys; a jewelry manufacturer that employs people living through homelessness. Riji found a further opportunity when she applied for and was accepted into the Creative Futures Collective program — giving her access to a larger network and a guaranteed paid internship with the World Surf League.
Now, the cards and their brand new company Affirmation Darling were created in hopes of helping people overcome difficult circumstances and creating employment opportunities for artists and creatives from underrepresented backgrounds, specifically those facing homelessness and mental health issues.
The Numbers
- Of the homeless population, there are an estimated 15,000 people living in their cars in the Greater Los Angeles area alone (Pollard)
- Self-affirmations are known to decrease stress and increase productivity in behavior (Cascio et al.)
- 29–75 percent of homeless people in Los Angeles are living with a mental health issue according to studies conducted from LAHSA, LA Times, and UCLA (LA Times)
The Action
- Use people-first language that focuses on the person rather than their circumstance. Do not describe people as being crazy or mentally ill. Instead, use phrases like “Person with a mental illness” or “Person living with a mental health issue”
- Help Riji and Melween launch their company “Affirmation Darling” by supporting their crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo
- Follow Riji’s entrepreneurial journey on Instagram
