One of the things that I love about my business coach is that she helps me write and use affirmations as part of my daily mindset work. They are one of my happy habits but they’re much more than that. They help me to believe in myself and help me tackle the blocks that come up, like imposter syndrome or the feeling that I”m not good enough, smart enough or thin enough.
In this post, I’m going to look at some of the scientific evidence that supports the use of affirmations.
The physical evidence
Did you know that practising affirmations actually changes your brain by creating new neural pathways? Scientists have been able to map out the changes that occur when you move to a positive mindset. The more your practice, the stronger those connections become. It’s like taking a new track. The more the path is used, the more it is worn, and the more the old track becomes overgrown with lack of use.
There is also evidence to show that affirmations have a major effect on your health. They improve your resilience and allow you to respond better to stress. Because of this the hormones affected by stress lower, as does your heart rate and blood pressure.
You can also use affirmations to reinforce your ability to lead a healthier lifestyle.
The psychological evidence
There is a theory that you can improve your mental health by changing how you view yourself. By bolstering your self-esteem you become more confident in your abilities and your belief in yourself changes. When you realise that you have the ability to change how you see yourself you can then release any mental blocks standing in your way. And when you align your affirmations with your personal values, then a spectacular transformation can begin.
For example, if kindness is one of your values and your affirmations are around kindness, then guess what, you will become kinder because that’s what you’re focused on. You’ll see opportunities to be kind and will act on them.
So, all in all, developing a daily practice using positive affirmations will have a positive affect on your physical and mental health.