Why a Strong Identity Matters
"Who am I?" "What's important to me?" "What are my values?" These are some of the questions that underlie your identity — your sense of self.
A strong sense of self directly impacts your choices and allows you to live an intentional life. It also fuels your self-worth and instills your values.
And it's through self-discovery and self-knowledge that you can feel connected to questions such as "Who am I?" This connection enables self-acceptance and allows you to appreciate and celebrate your qualities and what you stand for. Ultimately, this process helps you refine who you are — a continuous self-development journey.
In contrast, a less-defined sense of self promotes uncertainty and indecision. Rather than living an intentional life fuelled by your own momentum, you risk floating through life on the heels of circ*mstances and others' expectations. And that can lead to discontent.
The Science Behind Self-Affirmations
The theory of self-affirmation proposes that people are motivated to maintain a positive self-view and meet threats to self-competence with resistance. Indeed, reflecting on your self-worth (e.g., core values, abilities) under challenging circ*mstances restores your belief in yourself.(Cascio, C. N. et al., 2016)
A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study sought to understand the underlying neural mechanisms of self-affirmation. Results indicate that self-affirmations regarding future-oriented core values trigger vital regions of the brain's self-processing and valuation systems.(Cascio, C. N. et al., 2016)
Physical, Mental, & Emotional Health
The study noted above predicted that effective affirmation facilitates positive changes in sedentary behavior. Another study confirmed that self-affirmation interventions increase physical activity.(Cooke et al., 2014) In another 2021 study, participants who made positive affirmations experienced emotional and cardiovascular benefits, including improved heart rate and lowered negative affect ratings.(Chen et al., 2021)
What is clear is that AFFIRMATION AFFECTS ACTION!
Affirmations and Declarations
An affirmation is a positive statement of your identity.
It's a statement that tells you that a goal or state is already happening. And sometimes, a little voice, your inner voice, appears — to let you know that what you've just affirmed is not real, it's not true, and you don't believe it.
And this is where a declaration can be even more powerful.
A declaration is a statement of a strong intention for the future that is connected to an action in the present — a small but important difference that allows your mind to accept your identity and influences your self-talk.
Three Crucial Self-Talk Voices
Your inner voice can be your friend, or your foe, depending upon whether you choose to harness it to your advantage. What you think when you experience challenges in life will either help you surmount those challenges or undermine your success.
Research indicates that self-talk in a specific way promotes self-distancing, helps you perform better, display less distress, and engage in less maladaptive post-event processing.(Kross et al., 2014). There are three ways you engage in self-talk.
First Person
The first-person self-talk voice uses personal pronouns (e.g., I, me) and is the least effective for performance.
Examples of First-Person Self-Talk
Second Person
Referring to yourself in the second person centers on the word "you." It can be more effective in creating a positive mindset.
Examples of Second-Person Self-Talk
Third Person
Call yourself by name, however, and you’ve established a greater self-distance than either of the above two voices. While the second-person voice can boost your confidence and help regulate emotion and behavior, the third-person voice inspires a rational perspective. It allows you to address your circ*mstances from a safer vantage point, removing your ego and placing you on firmer ground to take inspired action.
Examples of Third-Person Self-Talk
5 Questions & Self-Declarations to Build an Intentional Identity
An intention-driven life facilitates contentment and physical and mental wellbeing. An intention-filled identity establishes a solid foundation to reach a goal. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.
As we’ve discussed, there is power in third-person self-talk, so let’s use that approach to answer the above questions.
Sample Positive Daily Declarations
Are you looking for more help and guidance in living an intention-driven life? Take the first step and get in touch with me to complete my validated motivation assessment and receive a detailed report that will help you tap into your inner drivers for change.
Feel free to reach out to me here on LinkedIn! And I encourage you to subscribe to my newsletter for more tips to help guide you on your journey.
Dr. Alka Patel is a thriving lifestyle medicine physician, coach, speaker, podcaster, and media contributor. Her research-based Lifestyle First® programmes provide the guidance you need to anchor your health through lifestyle choices — no pills required!
Find out more today!
Works Cited
Cascio, C. N. et al. Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2016. 11(4): 621-629. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26541373/
Chen, W. et al. Effects of self‐affirmation on emotion and cardiovascular responses. Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress. 2020. 37(2): 201–212. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smi.2986
Cooke, R., et al. Self-Affirmation Promotes Physical Activity. Journal of sport & exercise psychology. 2014. 36, 217–223. doi:10.1123/jsep.2013-0041.
Kross, E., et al.Self-Talk as a Regulatory Mechanism: How You Do It Matters. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology. 2014. 106(2): 304–324. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24467424/
