I was in a group on Clubhouse and we were talking about mental health. We arrived at the topic of self-talk and how powerful words can be on the mind. Words are so incredibly powerful.

When we talk to ourselves or in our minds the words we say, and use are important. For example, if I say I cannot do something I have already made up my mind that I cannot do that thing and I have shut the door to that thing, but if I say I am choosing not to do that thing then I am creating an open communication with myself that I made a choice and I can change my mind.

Leaving this space in our minds open allows for us to move more freely between choices and gives us more access to all life has to offer. If I say my anxiety prevented me from xyz, I am giving the power to the anxiety and not to myself. A better option would be I was experiencing anxious thoughts, so I gave myself the space to rest. The differences in those two sentences are incredible. Changing up words that we use every day to more empowering words can really change how we see ourselves and the world.

This brings me to the clubhouse conversation. In this conversation we got on the topic of the words used for this pandemic we are experiencing. Those in power have chosen the words “Social Distance” as the phrase. I cannot speak for others, but I can speak for myself, and over this almost year I am starting to really feel the weight of that phrase.

When you break that phrase down it becomes clear why it feels so heavy. The word social implies human interactions, intimacy, and interaction of a social nature and the words distance implies isolation, loneliness, and separation and together the phase makes one feel that all interactions and experiences are bad, dangerous, and scary. When in fact that is not what we need to be doing at all. We NEED to be more social than ever and we need to be closer than ever. If we turned that phrase into “Physically Separated” instead, the feeling changes. It means we need to be physically apart but still connected and we need to be separate but not distant. This distinction has lifted a BIG weight off my shoulders.

In changing this wording in my own life, I am feeling a big weight lifted off me. I am not afraid to talk to someone in public, I am not actively avoiding eye contact with people; these things can still happen as we can still have interactions with one another and still be safe.

Love, Light, and Wellness.