“I’m SO famished… I could eat a horse!!!” my friend exclaimed, washing the dirt from her hands.
We’d spent the morning gardening. It’d been a good while since breakfast.
Once upon a time I’d have agreed with her, on automatic, “Heck yeah, me too, FAMISHED…the horse AND the rider!!!”
Not now though.
Uh-uh.
Why not?
Because friends don’t let friends speak crappily.
Instead, I said “Yeah, I am a bit peckish. I could definitely nibble on a little something.”
You might be sitting there reading this thinking, “Geez, how pedaaantic can you get?”
And you’d be right. I am being pedantic, and for very, very good reason.
If you’ve got some extra weight to shift, you might want to listen up…it’s interesting stuff.
Here’s why…
We all have this thing in our tummy called an appestat. Basically it’s a chemical that tells us when we’re physically replete. It’s the ‘stop eating now’ signal, if you like.
So what’s our language got to do with this appestat thing?
I’m pleased you asked, darlin’.
The language and words we use directly affects when this appestat kicks in.
You see, our unconscious mind takes our words literally. Like a young child, it doesn’t grasp the concept of sarcasm or exaggeration. It simply absorbs, accepts and acts upon the literal meaning of the words you say.
It then searches for evidence of your instruction.
For example…
If you tell yourself, “I’m starving, I could eat a horse.”
How much of this statement does your unconscious mind believe is true?
Every single word.
It takes every word literally.
Exaggerated statements (like this one), encourage your unconscious mind to ignore the appestat and overeat, as if you really were in a famine.
How much of the statement is actually true?
Not much.
Could you really eat Black Beauty?
Probably not.
So…
…instead of “I’m starved … famished …ravenous” think about what other words you could use that are much less negatively descriptive.
Start to tone down your instructions to your unconscious mind.
“I could eat something now” or “I’m a tad peckish” are significantly better because they are neutral and give your unconscious mind a less intense message.
The less intense or less negatively descriptive the words you use, then the less intense your relationship with food.
Good to know, hey.
So, given that your unconscious mind is literal (and will search for evidence of what you ask), the question to keep in the forefront of your mind as you go through your day is:
What’s the message I am sending my unconscious mind?
As you can imagine, minding your language is imperative in every area of your life. We’re constantly creating our world (and how we feel) through our language.
Don’t believe me? Try it on for size. Listen to conversations already going on around you. You’ll notice patterns, I promise you.
When you ask your colleagues or friends, “how you doing?”, what’s their habitual response?
Compare and contrast…
“I’m soooooo stressed.”
“I’m absolutely shattered.”
“I’m really p*ssed off.”
With …
“I feel awesome, thanks for asking.”
“I’m all good.”
“Fan-tab-u-lous!!!”
Now that you know how the unconscious mind works, it’ll come as no surprise to you that people who talk about being stressed, absolutely shattered or p*ssed, are the same people who regularly feel stressed, absolutely shattered or p*ssed.
And vice versa.
Enjoy listening to other people’s language and you’ll discover where they hang out, emotionally-speaking.
Remember your unconscious mind is infinitely powerful and is eavesdropping on everything you say, whether aloud or in your head – and will always deliver you a match.
It’s not rocket science, sweetheart. You’ve just got to know how the mind works. And now you do.
So mind your language. Language your world as you want it to be.
Love etc, Avril
