Positive Thinking - How Language influences Thoughts
Not only do our thoughts affect what we say, but what we say also affects our thinking. Here are 3 Mindable tips to help you easily learn how to positively influence your thinking through language and strengthen your self-efficacy.
Always Isn't Always the Same as Always
We always tend to always use the word "always." But actually, not everything that happens is always the same, right? By consciously trying to simply omit always or replace it with the word "often/more often," we give ourselves the chance to view things more differentially. Because your panic attacks probably don't always run the same way, and you don't have always the same amount of anxiety in every situation, do you?
When I do XY, I (more often/often) have anxiety instead of
When I do XY, I always have anxiety.
So Far, You've Had Anxiety
When you talk about your anxiety, whether with others or in your own thoughts, try to use the little word so far. Because so far you've had anxiety, but that can change starting now 🙂 Through this little word, you're whispering to your subconscious the message that the anxiety lies in your past and doesn't necessarily have to influence your present and future.
So far, I've been afraid of… instead of
I'm afraid of…
So far, I've had panic attacks when… instead of
I have panic attackswhen…
Not Yet
"I can't do it!" is often one of the first sentences that shoots through our heads or tumbles out of our mouths as soon as we find ourselves in an anxiety-triggering situation. Next time this happens to you, try putting the word "yet" before the "not." A "yet" can also be wonderfully complemented by a "so far." With this too, you can whisper to your subconscious that it may let go of the anxiety and the past to look forward to the present and the future - free from anxiety.
I'm so anxious that I can't (so far) do XY yet instead of
I'm so anxious that I can't do XY.
And while we're on the topic of "language changes thinking," here's a little note from us:
You may have already noticed that we use the gender colon both on our homepage and within the app. Because it's important to us that you all feel equally addressed and no one is discriminated against. And let's be honest: the generic masculine is simply outdated these days. If you have any suggestions for how we can be even more inclusive in other areas, feel free to email us at support@mindable.health.
