Your Mind Fully Present Our Thoughts Create Our Reality: Mindfulness and the Power of Affirmations
- Annie Ranger
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Did you know we have thousands of thoughts every single day—and most of them are the same ones we had yesterday? Even more, most are unconscious, and the majority tend to be negative. The good news? Research shows we can use mindfulness and affirmations to shift these patterns and create new ones.
Even though I know this — and pretty much live by it — I still catch myself slipping into old habits of worry or negative thought loops. The difference now is that I notice it more quickly, and I can shift. A little gratitude, a positive thought, or a simple affirmation can truly change my energy, my feelings, and even my whole day.
This month’s theme is all about how our thoughts create our reality, and how we can plant new seeds for calm, clarity, and growth.
Why Our Thoughts Matter: Mindfulness and Neuroscience
One of the most well-known principles in neuroscience comes from psychologist Donald Hebb, who wrote: “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, the more we repeat a thought, the stronger that pathway becomes in the brain. Over time, familiar thought patterns can feel automatic—whether they’re helpful or not. Later, neuroscientist Carla Shatz expanded on this with her phrase: “Cells that fire together, wire together. Cells that fire apart, wire apart.” Simply use it or lose it — and trust me, I am feeling the effects of this lately!
Psychiatrist David R. Hawkins mapped human emotions on a scale of frequency—from lower vibrations like fear and shame to higher ones like courage, love, and joy. His work reminds us that even small upward shifts can change our state of mind and the energy we put into the world.
Joe Dispenza’s teachings on the mind-body connection echo similar ideas. He explains that thoughts are the language of the brain, and feelings are the language of the body. When we think the same thoughts, our brains produce familiar chemical signals, and our bodies get used to the emotions they create. Over time, our minds and bodies become conditioned to repeat what’s familiar—even if it is stress, worry, or doubt.
The HeartMath Institute shows us how focusing on elevated emotions like gratitude or compassion shifts our heart rhythm into coherence. That state doesn’t just feel good—it also supports clarity, balance, and resilience.
And teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh have shown us the simple truth that awareness itself is transformative: “Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.”
Why Negative Thought Loops Feel So Familiar
Our brains love the known, even when it isn’t good for us.
Familiar thought patterns—“I can’t do it,” “Something bad will happen,” “I’m stuck”—become comfortable simply because they’re predictable. And the more we think them, the more our minds carve that groove.
So why do we stay stuck? Because the familiar feels easier than the unknown. Change takes energy, and it means stepping outside our comfort zone.
But mindfulness gives us a bridge. By pausing, noticing, and gently shifting our thoughts, we can begin to choose the ones we want to grow.
Honoring the Full Range of Emotions
When we’re caught in negative loops, we tend to be at the lower end of Hawkins’s scale. This isn’t “bad”—it’s simply information, something to be aware of. Mindfulness helps us notice where we are, without judgment, and gently shift upward.
“Honor where you are—even the lower-vibration thoughts and emotions. Notice them with compassion, learn from them, let them be, and then gently shift toward a state that supports your growth, happiness, and well-being.”
Small shifts matter. Moving from fear to courage, or from resentment to compassion, changes our inner frequency and what we attract back.
Mindfulness: The Key to Rewiring the Brain
Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Mindfulness is what opens the door to new thinking.
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that the first function of mindfulness is simply to recognize. When we pause and notice a thought—without judgment—we interrupt the automatic loop.
That single moment of awareness creates a gap between the thought and our reaction.
In that gap, we get to choose:
A different thought
A kinder perspective
An elevated emotion that supports the reality we want to live
Simple Mindfulness Practices to Shift Negative Thoughts
Pause and notice – Spend a few mindful minutes watching your thoughts, like clouds passing by.
Name it to tame it – If you notice worry, label it: “This is worry.”
Choose your next thought – Redirect: “I’m stuck” → “I can take one step and keep learning.”
Breathe into the heart – Slow your breath, focus on gratitude or love, and feel your body shift.
Shifting Thoughts
Negative Loop → Mindful Reframe
“I can’t do it.” → “I can try and do my best.”
“Something bad will happen.” → “I am safe right now.”
“I’m stuck.” → “I can take a step forward and keep learning.”
Planting New Seeds with Mindfulness and Affirmations
Our thoughts are like seeds—what we plant, we grow. Mindfulness helps us notice which ones we’re watering, and affirmations give us a way to plant new ones: “I am safe.” “I am learning and growing.” “I can move forward step by step.”
Over time, those words become the reality we live in. With awareness and intention, we can create a life that feels calmer, clearer, and truer to who we are—or who we want to be.
What seeds do you want to plant today?
To support you, I’ve included a guided Body Scan Meditation to help you calm your nervous system, notice where thoughts and feelings are showing up in your body, and make room for new, empowering thoughts to grow.
I originally made it for kids, but it’s just as powerful for adults—and it’s wonderful to do together with any child (or adult) in your life.
[Listen to the Body Scan Meditation]
💛 Pause. Notice. Choose.
Thank you for being here ! Sign up for my Newsletter to receive updates and tips and tools!
