Wired With Words - Stress & Anxiety Language
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Did you know words can change your emotional state? Did you know they influence what you visualize and think about? Did you know the word “no” can put you into a stressed state. The more you focus on negative words, and allow your mind to be filled with negative thoughts, key structures in the brain can be damaged.
Fear Mode. Words like “poverty,” “sickness,” “fighting,” “death,” put the brain into fear mode. What’s fascinating about language is that a word creates an image in the mind. What you imagine then creates an emotional response. If you’re fantasizing about positive outcomes, then you’re feeling good. If you’re catastrophizing, and thinking about negative outcomes, you’re depleting your energy by amping up stress and anxiety.
Another aspect of words is that they’re abstract concepts. A word can have different meanings for different people. Are you interested in building relationships, then it’s a good idea to stay curious about what someone means when they might say for example, freedom, peace or integrity. All of these words are very general and left up to interpretation. Pay attention the next time you’re listening to a politician speak. They often use general terms, and don’t like to be pinned down to define their concept.
Mind your words. Here’s where you can start to make some positive changes with your language, in order to feel more relaxed, calm and in control.
- Awareness is the precursor to change, so begin by paying attention to the language you’re using. Go back through your text threads to look at what you’ve written. Employ a friend to help by listening.
- Notice how your body feels when you’re using certain words. Play a game by writing down various words, and say then out loud. Journal your experience. This helps you to get more in touch with your inner world, your emotional world.
- Remove the words that are mired in burden or battle. Remove should, have to, need to, and replace with more empowering language like I intend to, or I get to….
A quick caveat on battle language. Battle language is so prevalent in the medical world. “Fighting cancer”, or any other healing crisis keeps the body in a stressed state. When I’m working with clients who are on a healing journey, I suggest they change their language to “I’m healing my….” This allows then to move into an empowered, active state of “healing.” Then we build a language list for them, and they spend time visioning along with the powerful, supportive words
If you'd like to learn more, I highly recommend two books. Power Vs. Force by Dr. David Hawkins, and Words Can Change Your Brain by Dr. Andrew Newberg, and Mark Robert Waldman.
Blessings, Lorie
