Many people rely on affirmations to boost their confidence and belief that they can do difficult things. Affirmations can be as simple as telling yourself that you are capable of achieving your goals, such as saying, “I am worthy of love” or “I deserve success.”

But when we are depressed, we may find it difficult to believe these affirmations, which defeats the process.

A brain health expert has revealed a simple trick that will help you use affirmations effectively, even if you find them difficult to believe.

Brean health expert and content creator Jericha Szlo shows how neuroscience can support people on their journey to self-love and self-acceptance.

She recognizes both the power and limitations of using affirmations, saying, “Sometimes it can be really difficult to train your brain with ‘I am’ affirmations, especially because the number one rule is you can’t lie to your brain.”

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While using “I am” statements in affirmations has been scientifically proven to be “an incredible tool for reprogramming your subconscious mind and changing your identity, sometimes your subconscious mind can build a wall when it doesn’t find an emotional connection.”

Szlo spoke about a familiar challenge that comes with practicing affirmations: the dissonance between what you say about yourself and what you believe to be true.

“When people use ‘I am’ affirmations, they have a big problem with not feeling it,” she said. “They don’t really believe it.”

When our self-confidence is low, we may find it difficult to believe that our lives are changing for the better.

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Even if we don’t necessarily believe the words we say, there are clear benefits to sticking to our affirmations because “the consistency of saying something over and over again builds a new neural pathway.”

However, affirmations become “a hundred times more effective when there is emotion behind what you say.”

“The brain actually builds stronger neural connections when emotions are involved,” Szlo explained. “So when your belief system is so far removed from the ‘I am’ affirmation and statement that you’re trying to retrain your brain with, sometimes it’s really hard to tap into those emotions.”

“Your subconscious and your conscious mind start arguing with each other,” she continued, noting that after you make a claim you don’t yet believe, your second immediate thought is, “No, I’m not.”

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She told us her simple trick to make affirmations more effective: by changing the sentence structure.

“Instead of saying, ‘I am abundant’ or ‘I am whatever,’ I want you to say, ‘I choose to believe that I am abundant’ or ‘I choose to believe XYZ,'” Szlo explained.

“Your brain is designed to respond to its own commands,” she said. “Especially if you do this first thing in the morning, when your subconscious is easily receptive, you’re basically waking up and telling your brain how it’s going to think, what it’s going to believe and how it’s going to act.”

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“It’s easier to embrace the emotions that come with choosing to do something than to pretend to feel a certain way when you’re not capable of doing so,” she concluded.

A 2020 study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience reported several benefits of self-affirmation. Self-affirmations were defined as “the process of reflecting on important personal values ​​or characteristics.”

According to the study, repeating affirmations increases activity in the brain’s neural regions responsible for rewards. Affirmations can also reduce stress, improve academic and professional performance, and increase overall well-being.

Although it can be difficult to always believe that we deserve good things, practicing affirmations can rewire our brains and help us believe that we are worthy because we are.

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Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team, covering social issues, pop culture, and all things entertainment.