The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon waft
through your open window and instantly you’re transported back to the Sunday
mornings of your childhood. Warmth envelopes you. You feel calm, happy, content
—
and hungry!
You hear a cup crash to the floor, and your entire body automatically
tightens. It’s brief, but you notice it,
and your mood changes ever so slightly.
Your boss asks to see you in their office, and all of a
sudden you feel like a child about to be reprimanded; yet, there is no reason
to believe that they are displeased with you.
That song begins to play on the radio, and you can’t help but
start moving to the music. Memories come back to you in tiny pictures, but
mostly you notice the overwhelming emotions and sensations washing over you.
What do all of these scenarios have in common? We have attached a story to them. We’ve created
a meaning for ourselves, and our feelings follow. Driven by these narratives, we
react to the people and world around us. Some of these stories we are aware of,
and others may surprise us with their existence and significance. These narratives create filters that we use
daily in our communication and in our interaction with others and ourselves. Many are helpful and contribute to our
success, but some may be outdated and create challenges:
“I can’t do this!”
“I’m not smart enough.”
“How could they love
me?”
“Of course I’m wrong.”
“What’s wrong with me?”
Do any of these sound familiar? Filters, stories, beliefs… Call them what
you will, but they reside in all of us.
It’s part of the human experience, and yet they can be very limiting,
affecting our relationships and how we relate to others in our day-to-day lives.
What if you could rewrite the stories that aren’t serving
you well? Where, how, and why were these
filters formed? How do these filters
affect your internal dialogue? What sort
of beliefs have you formed based on this dialogue? And most importantly, what do you feel during
these moments?
The answers to these questions can help us understand,
process, and change our story. Sometimes,
it’s a matter of changing one word within our story, and the entire meaning and
feeling associated with that narrative can shift.
I want you to take a moment and think about the words you
would use to describe how you feel when you are feeling happy. How many words can you come up with? Did any
of these make your list — alive, awed, energetic, excited, grateful, invigorated, joyful,
thrilled, optimistic, or wonder-filled?
Review the list again.
Are there any words that stand out to you? Do you notice a different feeling when you
read a specific word? If you were to say you felt thrilled or joyful instead of
happy, does that change the feeling for you?
When we think of different words, like events, they can
trigger very specific reactions within us.
If the words above didn’t create distinct emotions for you, try thinking
about the language you use when you’re unhappy. Did any of these make your list
— appalled,
ashamed, hurt, depleted, withdrawn, vulnerable, insecure, nervous, anxious, or uncomfortable?
Do any of them incite a distinct reaction from you? Or, were there any words in
particular that fascinated you?
The English language is loaded with words to describe how we
feel, and often we only use a small percentage of these. By becoming more familiar with these words,
and how we react to them, we can become clearer about how they affect our
stories. They can also provide a greater understanding of how we interact with them.
Have you ever said: “I’m
so Angry!”? Was there more to that
statement than you could express at the time?
Can you think of another word to describe how you felt in that moment? Were you hurt? Did someone catch you off-guard? Did someone make you uncomfortable? If you were to change the word “angry” to another word, what would that
be? Does this change how you feel about
the situation? Sometimes, clarifying our
feelings can change our internal narrative, which can then lead to more kindness
towards ourselves.
The scenarios described above offers a brief insight into how
I work with my clients in our counselling sessions. As we become aware of our
inner dialogue and the language we use, we can utilize these skills to create
change within ourselves.