Words are so powerful; they can change our state, our emotions, our behaviours and ultimately our actions. We use them to express joy, love, fear, concern, worry, anger, support, encouragement and yet how often do we consider the words we use?
I realise when I look back through my life that I have always had a fascination with words. I have loved reading for as far back as I can remember and I kept a diary from a really young age so words have always been really important to me. I couldn’t wait to start learning other languages, which quickly became my passion as I went on to study Welsh, French and German at school and then to study Swedish and German at University. I lived abroad and loved being able to use my languages to communicate, connect and express myself freely. I was fortunate enough to use Swedish in my career for 12 years, funnily enough, in the world of words (subtitling)!
I also studied Linguistics as part of my degree and I loved exploring more about the structure, origins, use and meaning of language as I enjoyed the scientific and logical side of language, not just the creative side. However, it was in my Psychology studies and NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) training that I really began to understand the power of language and how important it is to use words wisely.
Words are our form of connection to others, everything we say and write affects other people and everything we read and hear has an impact and impression on us but what about the words we speak to ourselves? How careful are we about our choice of words in our internal dialogue? Which words do we choose to use when we’re feeling sad, upset, angry, anxious, exhausted, overwhelmed? Do we speak to ourselves as we would a friend in need when we are going through a difficult time? Do we use kind words when we look in a mirror? Are we gentle with ourselves when we feel worn out? Are we compassionate and forgiving when something doesn’t go the way we planned or are we disapproving, reprimanding, judgemental, critical of ourselves?
Our choice of words has a huge impact on our emotions and our energy. Think about how differently you feel when you use calm, nurturing, encouraging and reassuring language or when you hear other people using this language. Start to be aware of your words, catch them and swap out the negative, defeatist, fear-inducing, harsh self-talk for more positive, uplifting, kind, supportive language before the negative language compounds the problems you are facing, zapping your energy, increasing those feelings of self-doubt, sadness, worry and fear and ultimately influencing the actions you take as a result. Be mindful of the stories you are telling yourself every day and let them boost and elevate you.
Words really are your power tool. Start using them for you rather than against you and notice the shifts you make in your energy, your emotions and your self-esteem.
Which words will you choose to use today?