With an abundance of information available to us daily, being able to see what people are doing around the world at the click of a button
has surely affected most peoples mental health. I'll throw myself onto that pile as well.

Comparing, judging and thinking negatively about ourselves can have severe reprocusions on our lives. By telling ourselves things such as "I'm not as good as them", "I can't achieve that" or "This is impossible" may seem as though it won't affect you.

However, our thoughts largely shape our reality.

In a way it gives us a backdoor to run away from our hopes and dreams.
By telling ourselves these phrases we give ourselves a safety net, 'knowing' we were never going to succeed.

But, what if you changed your thoughts? Instead telling yourself "I can achieve anything I put my mind to."

This already feels much better. These are positive affirmations and they might change your life!

What Are Affirmations?
For some this is a new concept. Put simply they are phrases or statements used to challenge negative self beliefs.

Pick some positive phrases and repeat them to yourself. Really beleieve what you are saying, feel it deep down inside you that this is your reality.

If you find yourself subconsciously affirming negative beliefs about yourself, you can rewire this pattern.

Replace them with a narrative that better suits your life.
There are a variety of different affirmtions you can choose from:
Motivate yourself
Quit bad habbits
Boost self confidence
Improve mood

The Science Behind It
Its not fact until its proven in the eyes of scientists, despite countless accounts of it being beneficial.

AN MRI test suggests that certain neural pathways increase when people use postive self affirmations (Cascio et al., 2016).

For the neuro scientists out there, the ventromedial prefontal coretex became more active during the tests.

For those that have no idea what that is, is it even English? Its the part of the brain that involves positive valuation and self related information.

" We're better able to view otherwise-threatening information as more self-relevant and valuable." Mentioned by Falk, the leading Scientist.

In short, it is related to how we process information about ourselves. As we move on we can see several benefits may arrise fom this practise.

Improves Mood

"I am amazing"
"I can achieve great things"
"My life has great value"

These statements may come across as a bizarre thing to tell yourself.

Well ask yourself this, is telling yourself the oppoisite going to improve your life?

Telling yourself positive affirmations will improve how you feel about yourself. By decreasing health-deteriorating stress and lifting your spirit, giving you that self belief and confidence.

Relieves Stress*
"I am calm"
"I am in control"
"I have nothing to worry about"

It can help you reprogram how you observe stressful situations.

By telling yourself that everthing will work out and to look on the brighter side, you will be less inclined to believe the negative doubts.

This is natural however, everyone and their mum has self doubt. It is what we do with those beliefs that shape our lives. We can listen to them and believe them or we can tell ourselves more uplifting messages.

Reduces Anxiety
"I enjoy being around people"
"I am a social person"
"I can talk to anyone"

This one may be the most difficult for some.

Picturing yourself talking to strangers or failing a task may increase anxiety without being in the situation physically. With that alone, we can see how powerful the mind is.

Despite being tucked up in bed, one thought about saying the wrong thing to someone can have our minds spiral out of control.

Imagine instead, a scenario where you do and say the right things. How much better your life would be!

Next time you feel that panic setting in over a negative self belief,
tell yourself "I have nothing to worry about" or any other affirmations that resonate with you.

More Optimistic
"My life is exciting"
"I can achieve so much"
"I See the positives in everything"

Life is hard enough without telling yourself negative things everyday.

By looking on the brightside and expecting the best from every situation, you are doubling your chance of having a better day.

When negative self talk arrises, it may feel as though nothing is possible. Repeating mantras and positive affirmations will reprogram the mind to believe that anything is possible.

You can see for yourself, it only takes a small amount of practise, commitment and dedication!

Free

Most importantly you dont have to pay a thing!

The only thing you have to pay is your time and effort. You are the one that has to put it into practise! Nobody can change the way you think apart from yourself.

Start today with a list of positive affirmations, make it a daily routine and see your life change for the best!

Conclusion
The unfortunate case for today is that most peoples mental habbits are unfortunately self destructive and have been mouded this way through, social media, news and personal beliefs.

However, we are in control of our own thougts and behaviours. After all you are stuck with your own thoughts for your entire lives, unless you're a mind reader…

Why not make it a better place to live? Similar to when you clean our rooms when it gets messy, you can also clean your mind and thoughts.

By making a mental change and building a daily routine to improve yourself through positive affirmations, a huge shift will begin to take place.

No more self doubt. No more negative outlooks on life. A new you can emerge from the ashes, all through the power of your own mind!