The Thunderous Power of Words

Words are some of the most underrated things in our life that we can use to change our emotional and other people's emotional state. The influence of words is so powerful that it can even tear countries apart, wage wars or unite people. To say that they are merely words is a massive understatement of the weight they carry. Yet, most of us are unaware of how we are using these words and how they influence our lives. That being said it is true that what we tell ourselves we become.

For instance, if you're constantly telling yourself that I am angry, depressed or anxious then that's how you'll feel. The reason for this tends to be that we associate certain words with a feeling. So whenever you are persistently telling yourself that you are depressed you are accessing the trigger to that feeling. Making you depressed all day or everyday, however there is a little technique to change your feelings up. The technique is to change the word you use to describe your feelings this can work to either intensify them or to soften their effect. For instance if I say I'm feeling "angry" it has a certain punch to it, but if I say I'm "infuriated" it has a stronger meaning. These words if used  at the right moment can serve the purpose of breaking an emotional pattern or feeding it. So, rather than saying I'm feeling "infuriated' you would say, "I'm a little annoyed". The purpose of this is to  soften the emotion if you can do that you can get yourself to think clearer and grab a hold of your emotions. 

Ideally, you want to then use a word that empowers you. Let's say that you say to yourself " I can't do something" instead you would use a positive like "I don't understand this yet but I'm gonna figure it out ". The moment you change your words there will be a shift in mentality and emotion driving you to take the action if the meaning behind those words is strong enough for you. Another course of action you can take would be to eliminate a word from your vocabulary this is also a very strong way to change your states if you never use a word you can't use that emotion.  

Actually, there are several cultures around the world that don't have some of the words in the English language this means that they don't use the emotions linked to those words. One of these cultures was the Tasadaya tribe which had no words for "dislike","hate",or "war" this means that they probably didn't go to wars,were peaceful and never hated. It might sound like bogus but think about what is one word that you hardly or never use? Say for instance if I never use the word bored then more than likely I never think I'm bored therefore I'm always taking action or I can always find something to do.

The other thing is that obviously you're not just limited to what you tell yourself. What you communicate to others also impacts them. So in this case you have to be careful how you use your words because there can be miscommunication between you guys. Seeing life from another perspective before saying anything can be very helpful in getting your message across. So think and listen before you say anything that might offended the other person. This will allow you have a very productive conversation and deepen the bond between you and the other person.

On a final note, change your vocabulary, change your life.

Tips for practice:

• Commit for the next 10 days to not use a word that's negatively impacting you. Supplement it with another word that is empowering. 
• If you need extra help tell your family and friends that way they keep you accountable.for example, if you say you're angry let them ask you, "Are you angry or just a little hurt or peeved" this will remind you not to use the word and help you to get used to changed your states.