Your Words Have Power

Have you ever struggled with controlling your thoughts or negative self-talk?

Most people have come face-to-face with the temptation of letting their thoughts spiral. Perhaps they were triggered by that quiz they weren’t confident on – or, maybe they were flustered by the bombarding thoughts that arose after facing a season of uncertainty.

Whatever the case may be, you might be surprised at the amount of control that you have over your thoughts – and by the science behind the positive effect of what capturing these thoughts can do for your brain.

While some people may require professional medical help, there are many ways to naturally improve brain function with simple mindfulness.

The Science Behind the Brain

According to neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg, and communication specialist Mark Waldman, “By holding a positive and optimistic [word] in your mind, you stimulate the frontal lobe activity. This area includes specific language centers that connect directly to the motor cortex responsible for moving you into action. And as our research has shown, the longer you concentrate on positive words, the more you begin to affect other areas of the brain.”

Speaking to yourself in a positive manner has been shown to change the structure of your brain, for better.

Meteor Education shares benefits of the brain by thinking optimistically – including a dynamic increase in synapses (areas connecting your neurons), increased mental productivity by improving cognition, intensified ability to pay attention, improved ability to think and analyze incoming data, and an improved ability to solve problems quicker and enhance creativity.

Rewiring

Now, it is easy to understand the benefits of what thinking positively can do for you, however, the challenge is – how? With the everyday chaos of work, school, to-do lists, squeezing time in to hit the gym, or letting your dog out, we  oftentimes can neglect checking in on ourselves and intentionally slowing our minds.

According to the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, there are ten common thinking patterns – also known as cognitive distortions – that are detrimental to your brain health.

These patterns include mental filters (filtering our positives and only focusing on negatives), all- or-nothing thinking, overgeneralizations, magnification (exaggerating shortcomings), jumping to conclusions, personalization and blame, emotional reasoning (judging yourself or a situation based on emotions), labeling, should statements (focusing on what you believe you should or must do), and discounting the positive.

Most of us are guilty of doing at least one of the things listed above, myself included. However, with intentional focus on what your thought life looks like, we are able to retrain the way that our brains think and eliminate these cognitive distortions – with time and practice.

Slowing Your Mind

Something that we can analyze when we feel our minds are beginning to spiral out of control is the content of what we are thinking. For example, we can ask ourselves, “Is what I am thinking true? Is it noble? Is it right or praiseworthy?”

As cliché as it may sound, is it vital to capture those negative thoughts in the moment and replace them with the truth. So, how do we do this?

It all begins with mindfulness. Examine the physical or emotional reaction that you are experiencing that is derived from what you are thinking about – perhaps it’s an increased heart rate, sadness, dizziness, or nervousness to name a few.

Once you spot just how your body is feeling, trace your reaction to the trigger – or thought – that caused that physical or emotional reaction.

An article by Psychology Today suggests intentionally using rational counterting thoughts to combat negative, declarative statements. For example, instead of saying, “I am a failure at __”, replace it with, “I made a mistake by __, but, this does not determine who I am as a person.”

The Power of Gratitude

Positive Psychology shares, “At a neurobiological level, gratitude regulates the sympathetic nervous system that activates our anxiety responses, and at the psychological level, it conditions the brain to filter the negative rumination and focus on positive thoughts (Wong et al., 2018).”

Gratitude lessens the reactivity of your brain’s amygdala, reducing your body’s “fight or flight” response, and lowers cortisol levels.

Practicing gratitude significantly improves brain function and health by isolating your thoughts on the feeling of thankfulness – while recognizing the goodness from others or your life.

Conclusion

While it may seem difficult to “retrain your brain” and take control of your thoughts, it is possible. With effort, time, and practice – you may be surprised at how you start to notice a more optimistic approach to life’s beautiful unpredictability.

You must learn how to speak life to enjoy life.