One thing that isn’t always taught to us at home or even at school is the power of symbols. There has always been something about symbols that can evoke the emotions within us and affect the way we act.
That’s why companies use specifically designed and studied logos that can evoke specific feelings within a consumer. The same thing happens when we become patriotic over a flag that is just but a mere symbol of our nation.
With that said, we’ll talk more about how symbols are able to affect our emotions and perhaps improve the way we feel.
How to Start Using Symbols to Improve your Thoughts and Feelings
Everything we see or even visualize with our mind has a symbolic meaning that we tend to attach to such images as their counterparts. The same object can have a sentimental meaning for some people and no value to others. The fundamental point is down to the given meaning.
For example, if we look at religion, the meaning behind a cross for a Buddhist is taken as face value as a simple cross. As for a Christian, a cross can mean the whole religion and faith.
So, how can you start using symbols to improve your own thoughts and feelings? The most basic way for you to do that is through optimism or positivity by anchoring. Anchoring is about attaching positive emotions to symbols which is a conscious process and you can tap in to those anytime you you wish to change your emotional state.
When we are optimistic or when we think positively about any kind of situation, we often see positive symbols behind objects. That’s because everything else flows from the positive outlook we have.
So, if you want different symbols and different images to help you improve your feelings, the best way for you to do so is to look for the hidden meaning behind what you see in front of you.
Seeing it can instantly uplift a devout believer’s mood and feelings because of how he has attached his faith to that symbol.
This is the power of what simple symbols can do regardless of what the symbol, image, or object may be. Make sure you use those to your advantage to change your mood instantly to make you feel more energized and uplifted. You are in control!
How Emotional Symbols/Images Can Get You Your Heart’s Desires
If you want to make use of the power of symbolism to get your heart’s desire or to succeed in something that you really want, you can follow these steps:
- Ask yourself what you really want and what holds value in your life. This is where you can find symbols and images that can be connected to the things that you value.
- Develop a positive mindset that will allow you to see the good things in every symbolic image or object that you see. Being too realistic will make you see nothing behind the image or object while being pessimistic will only make you see negative meanings behind them.
- Find images and objects that can be symbolic of what you value in life. If you value your religion, a cross can be that object. Or if you value your family the most, an image of your family can be enough to keep you moving forward.
How a Personal Symbol Meaning Can Help You Live a Better Life
Having a personal symbol can also be a useful way for you to live a better life especially if you rely heavily on that symbol for inspiration and motivation. So, how does a personal symbol do that?
When we have a personal symbol that we hold dear it’s like we actually live our lives by that symbol. Think of the symbol as the theme for how you would want to live your life.
Whenever you look at that symbol, you are reminded of how you should be living your life and how you should be acting accordingly.
Going back to religion, devout believers are always reminded to try to follow their beliefs whenever they see symbols that represent their religion. Meanwhile, those who put their trust in the family often find strength whenever they see a photo of their family.
And for the patriots out there, seeing the national flag can be something that can immediately evoke feelings of nationalism within you and make you take actions aligned with your patriotic core values.
Why Everyone is Obsessed With Symbol Strength
If you haven’t noticed, people all over the world are so obsessed with the strength of their symbols to the point that they may even compete. This is what has sparked religious wars in the past.
So, why is everyone is obsessed with the strength of their symbols? The answer is simple. It’s because the symbol represents their way of life and what they give value to their lives.
In that regard, when you insult the American flag and try to bring down its value and strength as a symbol, you are also insulting the entire American people. The same way can be said if you try to belittle the symbol of a certain religion because you are going to end up belittling their beliefs. Respect the symbolisms of each person.
7 Surprising Ways Symbols Affect Emotions
Here are some of the surprising ways that symbols are able to affect our own emotions:
- Symbols can evoke our emotions. An example of that is a flag, which evokes patriotic feelings and emotions such as belonging.
- Symbols can cause us to behave differently. For example, a weapon can cause feelings of anger in someone to surface.
- Symbols can act as a framework. A good example is when we use money as a way for us to construct social groups especially when we use money as a symbol to talk about business, status, and different happenings in the world of business and finance.
- Symbols allow groups to integrate. One example I can think of is when the way a person dresses can be a symbol of what social status or group he belongs to.
- Symbols can mean any meaning we give them. Company logos are examples of this as most companies put meanings behind their logo to make them more appealing to consumers.
- Symbols influence archetypes. There are certain archetypes that are often connected to certain symbols such as when an organization is able to bring out the hero archetype by making use of a symbol connected to it.
- Symbols are used to make people move. Above all, symbols are often used as a way for leaders to try to make people move such as when they use the symbol of the country or the organization to find a common ground among the people.
