Research has found that affirmations have a profound effect on the human brain. Contrary to what you may think, our brains are malleable and can be rewired by our thoughts. The use of positive affirmations is therefore a great method to rewire our brains and help us move towards our goals.
If you are wondering just how effective affirmations can be and how they enhance our lives – look no further. This article will go over 7 direct benefits of listening to positive affirmations.
Let’s face it. We all talk to ourselves. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.
When we tune in to our self-thoughts, we may realise they are more negative than positive. For most of us, this is natural and that’s something we actively have to change.
Think of affirmations as if they were your psychological immune system. They fill your mind with positive, motivating thoughts and in turn, help to get rid of any negativity.
“Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” – Peter McWilliams
If your mind is constantly filled by negative thoughts, it will result in negative action (or a lack of action) and this will become your reality.
Before we continue, let’s define the words ‘positive affirmation’.
What is a positive affirmation?
Affirmations are simply positive statements that can aid you in challenging and overcoming your negative and self-sabotaging thoughts. When you regularly repeat these statements, and believe in them, you will notice positive changes.
You can learn more about positive affirmations in this complete guide.
Does listening to positive affirmations work?
But does listening to positive affirmations work?
We found that your mind constantly registers what you are listening to, even if you are not paying attention to it. It will take the input subconsciously and process it. So, listening to positive affirmations definitely works!
This leads us to the question of whether saying affirmations aloud is more effective than just listening to them. There is no correct answer and it simply comes down to personal preference. You can do both.
It might be making a CD of your favourite affirmations and listening to it as you travel back and forth to work.
You might listen to some while cooking or while working out. Whatever it may be, there are may ways to incorporate this habit into your life.
How long does it take for positive affirmations to work?
Another question that gets asked a lot is how long do you need for positive affirmations to take effect?
The answer varies and depends on a number of different factors. We spent a whole article on this topic, feel free to read here.
How long have you been listening to them? How often do you listen to them? Do you believe what you hear?
It could be 2 days or 2 months. The important thing to remember is the more you believe in what you are saying or hearing, the quicker you will see results.
Then, you have the practice. As with anything, the more you practice, the more results you will see. If you want to see fast results, make sure to dedicate enough time listening to and manifesting positive affirmations.
So, why does the time for these affirmations to manifest vary so much between people?
When making an effort to replace old negative thought processes with a new positive train of thought, your subconsciousness is being rewired. Your subconsciousness hates changes and this puts it in a state of resistance. This level of resistance is different amongst people.
So, we’ve covered what affirmations are, whether listening to them works, and how long it takes for them to work. What about the benefits of listening to positive affirmations?
7 Benefits of listening to positive affirmations
Here they are:
1. They increase awareness
Listening to affirmations regularly also allows you to become more mindful of your thoughts and things around you.
Mindlessness refers to awareness of the present moment. At the same time, it’s the ability to calmly acknowledge our thoughts and feelings, without passing judgement.
By regularly listening to affirmations, you become more aware of your thoughts. If you are feeling negative, stop and examine the feelings and thoughts you are having. Often, you’ll find these are what cause you to feel bad, leading to more negative thoughts. It really is a snowball effect.
So, next time you find a negative thought entering your mind, remind yourself that it only has power over the way you feel if you allow it.
Practicing meditation is another great way to become more aware of your thoughts. If you regularly listen to affirmations and also set aside some time every day to meditate, positive changes may happen faster than you imagine.
2. They open your mind to new possibilities
One of the best benefits of listening to positive affirmations is becoming open-minded.
When you first listen to a new affirmation, you might not believe whatever it is you’re hearing. Instead of becoming demotivated, look at it as a good thing. You’ve opened your mind up to a new way of thinking.
This way of thinking may not be automatic yet. However, just by considering the possibility of it being true causes the mind to ponder over new, different opportunities
“You have to open your mind, take a second look and consider the possibilities” – Ann Young
Look at people who are the best in the world at something they do. It is mainly the belief they would become the best that created the possibility in the first place. Of course, they worked hard too but that wouldn’t mean anything without their self-belief.
There’s the famous saying: “Fake it until you make it”. The same applies to affirmations. So, act and think like the person you want to be. Act like you believe in the positive affirmations you hear, even if you don’t initially.
Eventually, you will have the confidence and belief you need to not only believe in what you are hearing but to become the person you dream of becoming.
3. Health benefits
Research has shown there are several health benefits to using affirmations. Over time, listening to positive affirmations will rewire your brain to think in a more positive way and this also has physical advantages.
One study found that people with greater optimism were more likely to live to an age of 85 and older, achieving “exceptional longevity”. 1,429 men and 69,744 women were selected from a long-term health study and surveyed to measure their overall levels of optimism.
Those who had a positive outlook had a 50%-70% greater chance of reaching 85. In addition, the biggest optimists in the group were found to live 11% to 15% longer.
Other research has also found that optimists were 74% less likely to suffer from insomnia and more likely to get their 6 to 9 hours of sleep a night.
While your physical health is important, remember not to neglect your mental health.
4. They program your subconsciousness
Before you can believe in something, your subconscious mind must believe it first. In terms of the benefits of listening to positive affirmations, this is the most important factor.
As your listen to positive affirmations, your subconsciousness will begin to re-program itself.
If you are poor and your subconsciousness believes you deserve it, you will probably stay poor. Think about lottery winners. Many of them win millions, but after a few years run out of all the money and sometimes end up even worse off than before.
This is because their subconscious mind wins the battle, telling them they don’t deserve the money and are destined to be poor.
The same goes for rich people who lose all their money. More often than not, they are able to regain their wealth because they believe they are destined for it.
5. Affirmations are flexible
You can find an affirmation for almost any kind of situation you are facing.
Feeling lonely?
Use affirmations such as:
- “We are all connected after all”
- “Loneliness will always pass”
Feeling stressed?
Try:
- “I am letting go of my worries”
You get the point. Find affirmations specific to the feelings you want to address.
You could even make a set of CDs’, each one for a different situation.
6. You become more grateful
Listening to affirmations of gratitude are a great way to develop a more positive mind-set.
It’s easy to become caught up in negative thoughts and forget the things we must be grateful for. Do you have a roof over your head? A loving family? Friends you can talk to?
These are all things we often take for granted and something that many people don’t have.
The problem is that gratitude for certain things can fade away. You may have got that great job after months of searching. You got through the tests, several interview stages and are feeling a great amount of gratitude.
Fast forward 1 year. You hate your co-workers, the hours are long and your boss treats you with little respect. Your level of gratitude for the job will have changed.
In this kind of scenario, affirmations of gratitude can still come in handy. They will remind you to focus on the few good parts of the job rather than all the negative things.
Sure – you may be bored of your job – but is it worse than no job? Is there at least one co-worker you get along with? Focus on these things.
7. They provide motivation
Even if you are starting out and still have self-doubt, you can find great motivation in affirmations.
In fact, this might be the one of most important benefits of listening to positive affirmations.
Motivation is what leads to hard work and eventually, self-belief. When you are motivated, you act. Actions lead to results and therefore the positive reinforcement you need to keep yourself motivated.
Ultimately, if you are telling yourself “I am hardworking” rather than “I am lazy”, chances are you’ll achieve a lot more.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you learned a lot about the benefits of listening to positive affirmations.
Another great way to induce positive thinking is through the use of daily mantras. Check out our article here on ’25 Daily mantras for positive thinking’
