Day 22- A Way With Words

Words are powerful. What we say can have a huge impact on not only our lives but the lives of others. Maybe that's why growing up we were all told "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." This saying was meant to teach us how to behave in public and toward other people, but maybe we should also take this phrase and apply it to ourselves.

What we tell ourselves and how we view ourselves directly affects how we feel, act, and think. A big part of my anxiety in the beginning stages was I was always worried about my health. For awhile I was dizzy almost all the time. Instead of realizing and accepting that dizziness was a symptom of anxiety, I convinced myself that I had symptoms of a brain tumor. Even though I had no other symptoms and I knew in the back of my mind that being dizzy was a part of anxiety, it didn't matter. I kept telling myself over and over again it was something more. That's the power of words and what we tell ourselves. It wasn't until I went and saw my doctor and she gave me a look over and said I had no signs of a brain tumor that I finally believed it. The power of her words completely changed my mind.

Often what we are telling ourselves can sway our anxieties, fears, and sadness. Tonight I went to my first meeting with my new group. It's a group of 8-10 people who have also dealt with anxiety and depression and is lead by my therapist. Going to the meeting I was a little nervous. I was nervous about meeting new people and wasn't sure what the group would be like. If I took that path and just thought of all the different negative outcomes, I could have probably talked myself out of it. Instead, I decided to focus on the positive thoughts like: how much help therapy has been so far and what I could learn from the other people.

What if we took this idea about how our own thoughts and words affect how we view ourselves and try and control it? Think of what we can do? Try writing a list of all the things you like about yourself, things that are your strengths, and things that you want to be. Every morning that you wake up and every night before you go to bed go over this list. Some people may recognize this as a form of affirmations, which I guess it kind of is. In order to give you an idea of how this could work, here are a few of the things I am choosing to tell myself every day: I am strong, I am powerful,I am hard-working, I am caring, I am getting better every day, I am healthy, I am amazing, I am a survivor.

Now go out and make your own list.

Day 22- Thing I Love to Do......Listen to Country Music.