As a writer, my life is full of words. I’ve learnt about the power of the written word, the importance of being a conveyor or purveyor of information. Words offer restoration and healing, or it can create wars. It can offer powerful affirmations keeping you on a high, sustaining you from the inside when everything around you is falling apart or it can fuel you with suicide ideations, perpetuating an existing loss of self-worth.
I’m guilty of having used words carelessly. I’m proud of having used words responsibly. Such is the dilemma of the human condition. Either way, it evokes a feeling.
Recently, I’ve been feeling a whole lot of negative emotions, cultivated from careless words thrown at me. Some I adopted because of how I felt at the moment, some I discarded because I knew them to be biased. However, the feeling it inspired could not be shaken and hit me at the core like a ton of bricks.
“You’re not good enough”
“I want more”
“You’re a failure”
“You have nothing to offer me”
Despite it being someone’s truth, words like that don’t serve anyone. It only corrodes.
And then, out of the blue, I’ve been inundated with words of affirmation that fed my soul, fuelled me with hope and provided me with the sustenance I needed to try again tomorrow.
“You’re devastatingly beautiful”
“You deserve it”
“You’re worth it”
“You are so loved”
“I pray for you every day”
Choose your words carefully. Once uttered, they cannot be taken back. It could be the difference between saving a life or causing someone to jump.