UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE OF AFFIRMATIONS AND HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE THEM.
Lately, there's a lot of hype surrounding affirmations and I'm sure you most likely have heard about it especially in this time and era but I know sometimes you may find yourself questioning if affirmations are that good or if they actually work. The idea might even seem far fetched and skeptical to some but before completely ruling it out, let's try to understand what they are and how effective they are.
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive phrases or short statements that when regularly said, change the way we think and feel about ourselves and promote positive behaviors in our lives. They define what we want to become and see in ourselves. In psychology, there are two main concepts of the self known as the ideal self and the real self. The real self is what a person is actually like while the ideal self is what a person would like to become or aspires to be. Affirmations are a tool to help us align our real self to our ideal self creating a state of harmony within ourselves and promoting our self worth and wellbeing.
But how do affirmations do this?
Scientists have discovered a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to change and adapt due to experience. Neuroplasticity confirms that changing your thoughts make new neural pathways form in your brain. The stronger our new thoughts (positive thoughts), the stronger those new neural pathways form. This changes how we feel and behave. Through using affirmations, we can condition our subconscious minds to create patterns of positive thinking.
How affirmations influence the subconscious mind.
The conscious mind is what we are aware of; our present thoughts and what we are perceiving in our surroundings. It does not contain stored information, rather, it is what is presently happening and it can be easily controlled using our choices.
Contrary to this, the subconscious mind contains all stored information of our experiences since childhood and this unconsciously affects our thoughts, emotions, perceptions and habits. The subconscious mind is what is working in the background and it is the reason why we react the way we do and have certain triggers. Say, for example, you were abandoned as a child either physically or emotionally, you will pick up beliefs that try to rationalize the situation such as 'I am unworthy', 'I am unlovable', 'There must be something wrong with me' and in adult life, you will struggle with relationships because you believe that people will always leave you. Therefore, you will make decisions that scare away your partner like having trust issues, being avoidant or obsessing over the relationship to a point that is unhealthy for your partner. This is just an example of how those beliefs formed in childhood are so powerful that it affects our daily actions and how we relate with others.
The most important thing is knowing how to use the conscious mind (consciousness) to positively influence the subconscious mind and that is where affirmations come in. They help to reprogram our subconscious mind from old conditioning to the conditioning that was meant to be in the beginning; the conditioning of love, nurture, warmth, attention and this enables the brain to create a sense of positivity, resilience, courage, confidence and happiness.
Benefits of using affirmations
1. Changes negative thought patterns to positive patterns.
Negative old belief systems create a habitual pattern of negative thinking which is difficult to break. Affirmations, when often repeated, rewires the brain into a habit of positive thinking which helps one to embody an optimistic attitude within themselves and in their capabilities.
2. Relieves stress.
A research carried out in the 1980s by Claude M. Steel, a social psychologist, posits that when people have thoughts and experiences that threatens the way they think or perceive themselves, they are motivated to restore their self image. These threats could be someone telling them how they are not good at something and for them to cope or restore themselves, they will affirm to themselves something positive and this is essential to help them cope.
3. Builds self confidence and self esteem.
In a small randomized controlled trial, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand how affirmations affected internal processing and rewards system in the brain. They found that participants who used positive affirmations that reflect their values had more activity in the reward systems of their brains (neural processes associated with positive self view and self competence) than those who didn't.
4. Promotes positive behavior change.
Affirmations guide the direction of our behavior. It compels us to take the necessary steps that are aligned to them. Furthermore, it is important to see affirmations as a guide to change and not the change itself. For instance, by saying that you are a calm person, you should be inspired to start doing calming exercises such as deep breathing exercises, which will eventually help you to stay grounded and calm.
5. Increases resilience and mental strength.
Using affirmations helps us to view different aspects about ourselves as being positive and adaptive to different situations much better. It builds a flexible and broad sense of self and makes us more resilient to difficulties that may arise.
6. Promotes a sense of wellbeing.
Affirmations encourage a more positive mindset and outlook on life. They are statements that inspire hope and gives reassurance that things will always get better.
How to effectively use affirmations
Affirmations are best to use in the morning when you first wake up or in the night when you are retreating to bed. This is because you are in a more relaxed state, technically known as the "Alpha state" (8-12Hz) which makes it easier to influence your subconscious thoughts. You can easily 'absorb' those words in your mind and start creating a habit of positive thinking. Additionally, affirmations should be repeated regularly for change to be effected. Usually around 30 days.
But what if it doesn't work?
As easy as using affirmations can seem, it can as well feel daunting when you don't see any changes or results. When using them, you also need to be aware of these three things:-
- Recognizing old beliefs and how they have influenced how you think, feel and behave.
- Controlling what you say about yourself to other people.
Words are powerful and the moment you start using your words intentionally rather than out of habit, your life will change. Describing yourself in a disempowering manner especially to other people, indirectly invites them to hold those negative beliefs about you and that is what they will always believe about you, this in turn affects how you think and feel about yourself.
- Align those affirmations with how you feel.
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