Did you know that the average person has about 70,000 thoughts a day? And about half of those thoughts are decisions, 35,000 a day. About 80% of those thoughts and decisions are negative. And more than 90% of thoughts are repetitive, day after day. Affirmations are by definition, “the action or process of affirming something…; emotional support or encouragement”. In practice, affirmations are empowering thoughts that help change negative and repetitive self talk.
Dr. Tara Swart Bieber MD, PhD says that “…you can not undo wiring that’s already in the brain.” However, “…there is an opportunity for re-wiring…through overriding it, which means repeating a new thought or behavior so many times with such emotional intensity that it becomes a more energy efficient pathway for your brain than the one that you’ve had until now.” There are a couple of ways to do this.
One way is of course, through affirmations. And as cliché as it sounds, there is actual science behind it. Replacing a positive thought over a negative one is “over-writing” the code in the neural pathways of the brain. Repeating this over and over makes the pathway stronger. Until the old idea or belief is forgotten and the new one is at the forefront of the brain.
Yes you can, with practice, change your brain. Change your thought process. Change your words. Change your behaviors. Change your life. Write your own story.