what are you saying?

"Words have power.  I am sure you have heard that before and probably think about it in the context of how you are talking to other people. How you talk to someone can influence how they respond to what you are telling them. But do you ever listen to the way you talk to yourself?  If you stop and consider for a moment, you might realize that you talk to yourself in a way that you would never talk to someone else, perhaps using really negative language or berating yourself.  If you are trying to lose weight, this can have an affect on your results.  How so?

The language we use has a direct affect on our nervous system and emotional health.  Let's take, for example, some common words that we use often like "bad" and "should".  Take a moment, close your eyes and say  the word "bad". Just notice how your body feels.  It may be very subtle. Now say the word "good".  Go back and forth between the two a couple of times. "Bad" has a heavier feeling and makes the shoulders go down.  "Good" has a much lighter feel, shoulders go up and back, head nods in a yes.

Now say the word "should".  How does your body feel with that word?  It has a really heavy feeling to me, especially across the shoulders and chest. Even my brain feels a little dark. Now say "could" and notice the change in your body. It feels very light and even expansive.  Do the same with these words, going back and forth between the two a couple of times, just noticing the subtle, or maybe not so subtle differences.

Now, taking it a step further, how often do you say "I really shouldn't be eating this" or "I really should be doing that".  To me, these phrases have a negative feeling that takes away choices, like there is only one right way to do something when, in fact, there are many ways of doing something.  Now say "I could eat this", or "I could do that".  Suddenly, I feel much lighter. I feel like I actually have a choice in the matter and have more power over the situation.  Doesn't that feel much better?

While, changing our words may not directly affect our circumstances, they definitely affect how we think, feel and respond.  If we are in a more positive mindset, we are going to make better choices towards reaching our goals and ultimately making us more successful.

My simple challenge to you is to just start paying attention to your choice of words, especially in how you talk to yourself.  Notice the positive changes that happen when you begin using more positive language.


 

---