Daily Affirmations for People on Parole

Daily Affirmations for Success After Parole

People believe, and rightly so that incarceration is a life altering experience. The incarceration of oneself or one's loved one is rated very close to the death of a loved one on most scales used to measure life stressors. However; the only reason that incarceration is not followed on those scales by release from prison and jail is because the people making the tests don't know about it. People imagine that release from prison is a happy experience and it is in theory. The reality is the incarcerated individual most often loses every friend and relative they had in as little as 3 years of incarceration. The old adage, "out of sight out of mind," is an all too often reality. The person once released from prison is entering a world that can seem unwelcoming, unforgiving and unsupportive.

On the level of the family their loved ones who did wait and the formerly incarcerated individual have had months or years of totally different lives. If they were the head of household before the incarceration someone else had to fill in for them. They can't just expect to walk back into their former position in the household. It will take a long time. It has to be earned with a long track record of dependability. Their children might be in foster care or adopted by strangers so everyone involved has suffered a great loss and can expect a struggle to reunite from day one. Sometimes the very loved ones they do have are involved in criminal or addictive behaviors and are to be avoided for their own safety and health.

If you are on parole you could be experiencing this kind of stress right now.

If you didn't lose your loved ones support the expectations they have, both positive and negative, can be a heavy burden for someone who is basically just born into the outside world. We live in an ever changing world and the world you left is not the same one you are released into and you are not the same person you were before the incarceration for better or worse.

Time is what you served and time is what your family, friends, agencies, employer will want from you on the outside. This can be stressful as well. Your family has been waiting for you for all these years and all they want to do is spend time with you and guess what? You have A.A.meetings, N.A. meetings, parole meetings, job interviews, work, and medical and even mental health appointments and they may feel let down that you aren't there like they anticipated. .

You have bills like parole and court fees on top of normal day to day bills and there are barriers, no funding for certain educational or housing programs due to former incarcerations, living accommodations are closed to you based on the crimes and there is job discrimination because of a criminal record and if you have a background with crimes associated with anything of interest to the media you may have issues with privacy and protection of yourself and your family. It can be overwhelming. The good news is other people do make it and never return to prison. If one person can do it another person can do it.

The people who make it after prison focus on what they can do instead of what they can't do. They don't try to go it alone. But what if you don't have a support network? You have to cultivate one. Make a list of your need; physical, spiritual, emotional and mental. Then one at a time work your way through the list and find people, places and things that can help lead you to the resources and support network you need. This is your job. You are going to have to become good at being a positive influence in your own life. That might feel unfair. However, to learn how to be self- soothing and self-supporting is one of the greatest gifts any man or woman can have. This is a gift you are going to give yourself. It is not just useful for people on parole it is useful for anyone.

You do have role models. Nearly every great prophet spent time in prison. There are political leaders like Nelson Mandela and Dr. King who also spent time in jail. Read books on the topic or listen to C.D.s. Read books on self-mastery, overcoming addiction and other positive texts. You are going to be responsible for developing your own network of people, books, places, things and activities to replace the negative influences that bring others down.

Pay close attention to what attracts your attention. Humans will be drawn to what is comfortable to them. Other people who have been incarcerated can have an allure because they are familiar. This can be a real mistake.

You can use affirmations to keep yourself on track. An affirmation is a positive statement you can use to re-enforce what you want to have in your life. They are always positive and they are always present tense. The best way to write your own affirmations is to start with a list of things you don't want and turn them into positive statements.

Here are a few to get you started. You can write your own: These have been written to address common feelings and beliefs that lead back to prison based on interviews with parole violators.

Affirmations:

I am not a victim. I am as strong and as capable as I need to be in every moment and in every area of my life.

I am resourceful, talented and ready to do what it takes to make it as a free, successful and law abiding individual.

The world needs what I have to offer.

I am a leader not a follower.

I will not allow myself to become a follower, to be lead into wrong action by the images and sounds of popular culture that promote violence and a disposable life style by glamorizing incarceration. I know first hand that there is no glamour in losing your freedom.

I don't sell myself short.

I choose friends and relationships with strong people with health coping skills, self-esteem and self-control.

I am worthy of trustworthy, strong and emotionally healthy friends.

The people, programs and activities that I am participating in are there for me to participate in not there for me to USE.

My word is golden.

I live with honor and I am counted on and accountable.

I will plan all aspects of my life to the best of my ability because failing to plan is planning to fail and failure is not an option.

I have more to gain by succeeding than I do from failing.

Everything I do has consequences and I value those consequences because they are a mirror of my progress and growth as a human being.

I am responsible and I am free.

I seek help to overcome addictions. I seek help for my health. I seek help when I need it.

I deal with events in my life when they occur because I know that success comes to those who take charge.

I know that ignoring problems doesn't make those problems go away.

I don't accept excuses from myself and I don't offer them to others.

Excuses are a waste of breath and do not lead me to my desires and they waste the valuable time of others, time that I may need in the future to get what I really need.

I look at problems as challenges.

While this might seem like an extremely simplistic way to deal with surviving such a tough time it is a tool you can use. The proper use of self-talk, self-mastery, positive thinking, positive actions and affirmations can provide positive reinforcement of values leading to success where there is little outside support. Affirmations can help you battle depression and self-defeating self-talk you might engage in as you integrate yourself into society.