Discover the science behind how affirmations work…

Belief systems are simply habitual thoughts that we believe to be true.

We tend to repeat various beliefs about ourselves and our relationship with the world so many times that the cognitive connections within our brains which are associated with the thought become stronger and stronger, until they are so strong that the thought becomes unconscious – a bit like automatically brushing our teeth before bed. This is called Cortical Thickening. But what if these belief systems are negative or limiting, for example: ‘I’d never be able to run a marathon’ or ‘I’m not brave enough to start my own business’. These thoughts keep us stuck, they stop us from doing the things we want to do, or keep us repeating old, unhealthy patterns.

How do affirmations work?

But we can release these limiting beliefs by changing our thought patterns. This is how affirmations work. By consciously changing our thinking patterns from negative thoughts to more positive thoughts, we begin to create new neural pathways within the brain. Using the two examples above, we might move to ‘When I put my mind to something, I can achieve anything’, or ‘I am competent, courageous and I have all the skills I need to start my own business’.

The more we repeat our positive affirmation, the stronger we make these new cognitive connections and the more habitual they become.

You have the power to re-wire your thought and belief systems. With time, we practise our old negative thought systems less, and so the neural pathways that aren’t used as often become weaker and weaker until they are no longer useful to us and so are removed. This wiring and re-wiring of the brain is called Neuroplasticity.

Good bye limiting beliefs! Hello healthy thoughts.

What’s your affirmation this month?