Good mental health is the cornerstone of a happy life. You could have the most Instagrammable lifestyle and still experience crippling anxiety. You see, we are our thoughts and it is our thoughts that cause us to act in ways that either bring us joy or pain. 

Thoughts can be changed. In fact, the way we think about ourselves—what we’re capable of, the relationships we’re deserving of, our place in the world—changes all throughout our lives.

Through a process called neuroplasticity, our brains are constantly being reshaped by our experiences. Small changes in habit, repeated frequently enough, can lead to changes in how we think, feel and, ultimately choose to live our lives. 

WHAT ARE affirmations?

Positive affirmations are powerful statements that can help align your mental health with more positive thinking. By repeating affirmations, you trigger small shifts in thinking that translate into positive self talk and decision-making. The act of repeating affirmations only takes 5 to 10 minutes, but you might struggle if you’re not yet ready for change.  

What I have learned is that empty words don’t fix bad thinking habits, limiting beliefs and self-destructive behaviors. And affirmation without specific thought, visualization and emotion, are just that: empty words. 

You could stand in front of that mirror, write them in your journal and chant them in the shower all you want. That isn’t going to work if your entire being isn’t working towards that new belief, the affirmation. 

But being able to put an image in your mind to those words and a feeling your physiology can relate to, can and will turn into a powerful affirmation that with time WILL reprogram your subconscious and subsequently change your reality.”

— Vanessa Rende