top of page

Break Free From "I Am Broken" –How Language Shapes Your Reality

May 25, 2024
3 min read

Emily Greenway is a trauma-informed mindset coach specializing in working with women who are ready to feel in control of their lives. She utilizes a holistic approach in her coaching using a scientific foundation accompanied by the spiritual, allowing for sustainable change based on health behavior theory and neuroscience.

Executive Contributor Emily Greenway

Do you ever feel stuck using phrases like "I am broken" or "I am struggling"? These seemingly harmless statements can have a powerful impact on your brain and your reality. Today, we're diving deep into the concept of "I am" statements and how they can unconsciously hold you back.


Woman suffering from stress.

The power of perception

Our brains thrive on making connections. When you say "I am broken," your brain takes that statement literally. It starts to see you as inherently flawed, and this perception bleeds into your experiences. Suddenly, opportunities and successes feel out of reach, and negativity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.


Science backs it up

Research in the field of neurolinguistics shows a strong link between our thoughts, language, and brain activity. A study published in the journal "National Library of Medicine” shows that third person talk can be a protective factor, if used correctly.


Shifting your mindset

This means there is good news, you can rewrite your story. Here's a powerful alternative: "I am experiencing [challenge]." This simple shift transforms a negative identity into a temporary experience. Your brain recognizes the challenge as something you're going through, not who you are.


Benefits of "I am experiencing"


  • Empowerment: You become the observer of your experience, not the victim.

  • Time-Bound: "Experiencing" implies a temporary state, not a permanent condition.

  • Openness: It allows you to see possibilities for growth and change.


Ready to break free?

Here's how to get started:


  1. Notice Your Language: Pay attention to how you talk about yourself. Are you using limiting "I am" statements?

  2. Reframe Your Experiences: Instead of "I am," try "I am experiencing."

  3. Explore the "Why": Dig deeper into the root causes of your negative self-talk.


Join the reclamation revolution

You are not your struggles. You have the power to reclaim your narrative and create the life you desire. Join me on my podcast: Beyond Survival where you can gain more transformative insights! Let's start a conversation about conscious rebellion and self-ownership.


Ready to Break Free From Limiting Beliefs? Grab my Relationship Clarity Blueprint, a framework that will help you identify and overcome negative self-talk in every avenue of life, so you can build a life of relationships fueled with confidence and self-compassion.


Emily Greenway is a mindset coach focused on deep internal healing. She is a certified life and mindfulness coach and obtained her Master's in Public Health specializing in health behavior theory in 2018. Her research background in emotional regulation and trauma-informed modalities spearheaded the way for her to create her own company, Reclamation Academy, focused on empowering women to heal their trauma and create a life that is authentic and unique to them. She believes that when we heal, the world heals.

Citation:


  • Moser JS, Dougherty A, Mattson WI, Katz B, Moran TP, Guevarra D, Shablack H, Ayduk O, Jonides J, Berman MG, Kross E. Third-person self-talk facilitates emotion regulation without engaging cognitive control: Converging evidence from ERP and fMRI. Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 3;7(1):4519. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04047-3. PMID: 28674404; PMCID: PMC5495792.


 
 

This article is published in collaboration with Brainz Magazine’s network of global experts, carefully selected to share real, valuable insights.

Article Image

Your Brain Has a Built-In GPS and Here’s How to Program It for Everything You Want

Your brain is running a program right now. It's scanning. Filtering. Searching. The only question is, did 'you' tell it what to look for? Discover a personal approach to manifestation that combines...

Article Image

Retiring People-Pleasing and Planting Boundaries Where They Can Actually Take Root

What if deeper connection didn’t require us to disappear inside it? This article explores how people-pleasing can quietly turn connection into performance, especially for introverts who value depth but...

Article Image

Why Brilliant Leaders Keep Repeating the Same Invisible Patterns

Some of the most intelligent, accomplished and self-aware leaders still find themselves repeating behaviours they have already analysed, discussed and tried to change. The issue is rarely a lack of...

Article Image

The Language the Money Speaks

A loan agreement crosses a desk in Central. It runs to ninety pages. Every clause from “conditions precedent,” “representations and warranties,” to “events of default” is in English, though the borrower’s...

Article Image

When Clarity Becomes Aligned Action

You may already know what needs to happen next. The question is whether you trust yourself enough to move. There comes a point when clarity is no longer the thing you are waiting for. You...

Article Image

Before You Were Born, Your Body Was Already Listening

What if your story began before you had a voice? Before your first breath, before your first cry, before your first memory? We often speak about trauma as something that happens after birth. The...

Your Brain Has a Built-In GPS and Here’s How to Program It for Everything You Want

Retiring People-Pleasing and Planting Boundaries Where They Can Actually Take Root

Why Brilliant Leaders Keep Repeating the Same Invisible Patterns

The Language the Money Speaks

When Clarity Becomes Aligned Action

Before You Were Born, Your Body Was Already Listening

Healthy Boundaries Start With Including Yourself in the Equation

What If There Is a Positive Intention Behind Anger?

The Difference Between a Normal Death Benefit Life Policy and a Cash Accumulation Policy

bottom of page