One word changes everything…

Today I was doing a language arts lesson with my youngest #gaargoyle (thank you distance learning) and she had to read a paragraph full of excitement and pick out words in the paragraph that made it more descriptive or exciting. And she wasn’t understanding it at first so we talked through it….

“The animals in the parade were bending and bowing and bumping to the beat.”

“Lilly, if it said the animals were walking to the beat, do you think that would be as exciting as bending and bowing and bumping? Can you see how those words create a visual of excitement vs. just walking? You can envision how fun that parade must be right??”

And it made me think….have you ever thought about the power of a word?? What words do you use to describe a situation? Are there words you use over and over that may be stronger than necessary?

For instance, I use “tragic” a lot…I mean a LOT! And to describe the silliest situation. Is it really tragic?? No. Do I think it’s really tragic…maybe not. But what does my mind think?? If my words are creating imagery in my mind, what am I telling my mind to think?

And better yet, what am I telling others around me when I use overly descriptive words? Am I creating unnecessary alarm with the words I’m using??

And even more importantly, are the words I’m using causing me unnecessary anxiety?? What if I changed the way I described a situation to use less exaggerated words?

Instead of “Being in quarantine is tragic” what if I said, “being in quarantine is challenging”? Even just one word makes it go from four-alarm fire to not amazing but manageable.

What’s one word you use all the time that may carry more weight that it should? Ask your spouse or kiddos to let you know…trust me they will! And ask them to hold you accountable to change it when you use it. It will make a difference in the way you think…I promise!