The actual scientific reason that affirmations work! 🤯

Up until fairly recently, scientists believed that the brain was fixed once we reached adulthood, making it impossible to change our brain or thought patterns.

Excitingly, recent discoveries have overturned this notion, revealing that we can indeed change our brains and thought processes throughout our lives.

This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity.

In my counseling course, I've been learning about both the positive and negative aspects of neuroplasticity.

On the one hand, it's fantastic to know that with effort, we can rewire our brains and improve the way they function over time.

On the other hand, we are often unknowingly reshaping our brains in negative ways.

For instance, if I'm terrible at reversing out of my parking space and mess it up every morning, telling myself that I'm completely useless, I'm reinforcing that belief daily.

By doing so, I'm strengthening those negative neural pathways, making it harder to overcome that belief and teach my brain the opposite.

Left to its own devices, our brain tends to gravitate toward negative thoughts due to its inherent negative bias.

This is where affirmations come in.

I used to hate the word "affirmations" because it sounded so wishy-washy, like repeating things we don't believe in and expecting the universe to magically make them true.

However, the reality is much more grounded.

By repeating positive phrases to ourselves, we're mindfully choosing what to feed our brains.

Over time, these positive statements gradually sink in, and our thinking becomes more positive.

Given enough time, positive affirmations can make a significant difference.

I've experienced this transformation in my own life, even though I was initially super skeptical.

What are your thoughts?

Have you had good experiences with affirmations, or have they not worked for you at all?

Let me know in the comments.