As a coach, I often ask my clients thought-provoking questions that can help them gain clarity and insight. So, let me ask you this: Where do you feel you need to make changes in your life? Is there something holding you back or preventing you from living your best life? Maybe it’s time to adjust your mindset or adapt to a new environment. Whatever it is, I’m here to support you and help you find the answers you need. Let’s work together to create the life you truly deserve.
I moved to a new home not so long ago. I had to go through all my old stuff that needed to be given away, sold, or trashed. I needed to adjust to my new environment. I love the move we made. We have been here now for almost 3 months. Which is great but I had to go through a lot of physical and emotional work. My thinking had to adapt to the new environment and the adjustments that I had to make.
Change can be tough, but it’s necessary for growth. We can learn and grow from our experiences, even the challenging ones. In the end, it’s usually for the best, even if it doesn’t always feel that way in the moment.
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when facing changes in our lives. Whether you’re going through a career shift, educational milestone, or personal development journey. By overcoming the challenges you can embrace the positive opportunities that change can bring.
So how do words affect our thinking?
Firstly, we have our conscious level of thought, where we actively respond to what’s happening around us. Secondly, we have our subconscious mind, which is made up of all the stored past triggers and beliefs that impact us without our active participation. Lastly, we have our ID, which refers to our innate and primal drives and urges. By understanding these three levels of thought, we can improve our thinking patterns and make positive changes in our lives.
1) Our conscious response to words
It’s fascinating how the words we hear, and use can impact our thinking. Positive words activate the frontal lobe of our brain, which is responsible for reasoning, logic, and other aspects of rational thought. This means that using words of love and encouragement can increase our ability to think logically. On the other hand, negative words can lead to the frontal lobe shutting down, as our brains perceive negativity as a threat to our survival. This can result in a fight-or-flight response, making us either defensive or aggressive. Our words truly have the power to control us, affecting which parts of our thinking are activated or suppressed. The frontal lobe is where our voluntary movement, language, and emotional expression skills are activated, and it contains most of the dopamine neurons.
2) How words can subconsciously affect our mood
It’s important to be mindful of the words we use and how they can impact our emotional state. Our brain processes language and responds by releasing certain biochemicals or hormones that can affect our mood and energy levels. When we hear positive words, our brain produces endorphins that make us feel elated and energized. Similarly, when we exercise, our brain releases chemicals that help us feel good about ourselves and give us more energy. However, negative words can have the opposite effect, causing our brain to produce stress hormones that drain our energy and make us feel down. It’s crucial that we pay attention to the words we entertain in our thoughts and strive to focus on the positive, as our words truly have the power to control us.
3) Controlling the self
Our ID is a concept in psychology that refers to our innate and primal drives and urges. These are the things that motivate us on a basic level, such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire. The ID operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate satisfaction from these urges without considering the consequences. It’s important to be aware of our ID and its influence on our behaviour to make conscious and responsible decisions. Balancing the needs of the ID with the demands of reality can lead to a healthier and more fulfilling life.
4) Your thoughts can lead to physical changes in your brain.
It’s important to be mindful of the thoughts we entertain and the impact they can have on our mental well-being. Just like following a recipe to bake a cake, we should be intentional about the ingredients we put into our minds to ensure a positive outcome. Do we want to end our day feeling mentally drained and negative, or mentally fresh and positive? The choice is ours. Research has shown that negative thoughts can lead to physical changes in our brain and contribute to feelings of depression and sadness. By focusing on positive thoughts, we can improve our mood and overall well-being.
So, let’s be careful what we think about and how we react to things around us.
Change can be hard. It requires no extra effort to settle for the same old thing. Auto-pilot keeps us locked into past patterns. But transforming your life? That requires courage; commitment; and effort. It’s tempting to stay comped in the zone of That’s-Just-How-It-Is. But to get to the really good stuff in life; you have to be willing to become an explorer and adventurer. – (John Mark Green)
By working with a coach, you can learn techniques to help you recognize and regulate your automatic responses to certain words or triggers. With practice and guidance, you can develop a more thoughtful and intentional approach to communication and improve your overall well-being. Remember, it’s essential to acknowledge your innate drives and urges, but also to exercise self-control and consider the bigger picture when responding to words.