There are many things outside of our control that we have to deal with and circumstances that happen to us for reasons outside of the consequences of our own actions–that’s just life. And while it may be easier to feel helpless in these situations, we must remember the power we have; life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even (and especially) during times of difficulty.
You ultimately get to decide what becomes of you because you are always in control of your mindset and attitude in any given set of circumstances, and no one can take that away from you.
You have more power than you may think, and it starts with your own self-view. Perceived powerlessness can negatively affect attention, impulse control, motivation, and goal pursuit. When lack of power impairs these abilities, a performance gap results between the “powerless” and the “powerful”. Present research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin provides evidence that affirmations subdue negative consequences of perceived powerlessness by promoting a more constructive and beneficial self-view among the “powerless.”
As you affirm your core beliefs, your self-esteem improves and your self-image starts to change. The mere belief that you are competent and have control over your outcomes actually results in better performance and improvement in the abilities mentioned above.
In the study mentioned, “low-power” individuals who self-affirmed their core personal values showed improved inhibitory control abilities (specifically showing significant improvement in their ability to inhibit their dominant response tendencies), compared to the “low-power” individuals who were not given the opportunity to self-affirm.
The research suggests that self-affirmation improves cognitive performance of the powerless by promoting an efficacious self-view, meaning that they see themselves “sufficiently capable of carrying out goals despite their outcome dependency.”
Feelings of powerlessness or helplessness are inescapable components of many social relations (such as being stigmatized for one’s race, social class, and gender). Though inherently a relational construct, powerlessness acts as a psychological threat to one’s self-worth, similar to how stereotype threats do. So just like stereotype threats, feelings of powerlessness can be effectively combatted through interventions that increase self-worth, such as self-affirmation.
Bear your suffering well and find inner achievement no matter your circumstances. You always have a choice. You always have the opportunity to make a decision, a decision in which, in the words of Viktor Frankl:
“Determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance.”
Find your power and take control of your life. Listen to affirmations for gaining personal confidence, recognizing your capabilities, finding motivation, and so much more on the Selfpause app, or use the app to write and record your own affirmations!
