Semantics: Friend or Foe

Semantics: Friend or Foe

Semantics. Attitudes. Thinking about these a lot lately. How the higher the quality of our semantics, and the better our attitudes, the better our quality of life. Judgment fits in there, too. Stuff that happens is neutral until we put our judgment on it, and then, whammy. Judgment isn’t Truth, it’s an opinion, and that means we can change our minds about it.

Semantics is, simply put, the meanings we attach to words. When we use words, we have feelings about them. In fact, some researchers say that we have an emotional response to every single thought we think, even the unconscious ones.

If I want to improve the quality of my life, I need to pay attention to my semantics. For example, as I am flowing with this chemo stuff, I do not feel like a warrior. When I am a warrior, I need an enemy, and creating an enemy gives that enemy power. My power. Ha! I wanna keep my power, thank you very much. I certainly don’t wanna give it to a disease or to symptoms.

I know a lot of people disagree with me on that one. I think they think that the word “warrior” sounds fierce and tough. For me, it’s not a positive, as long as I have to have an enemy.

Additionally, I do not feel like a survivor, even though I was hours away from death. I thrive. I thrive in my spirit, in my relationships. I thrive in my thoughts. I thrive in my choices.

I choose to use other words than “pain.” Pain has a lot of negative associations for me. It is a rich, full word that I have used to describe everything from self-harm to bad back problems to broken hearted misery to being batshit crazy. Using this word for me is very low vibrations. I like high vibrations.

Why do I choose to be happy? How do I choose to be content? What makes me feel peaceful?

As I am flowing with this chemo stuff, I have opportunities every day to choose to use high vibrational language that makes me feel strong and competent, capable and loving. I use the phrase, “This, too, shall pass.” and choose to relax into whatever is going on.

When I remember that whatever is happening isn’t inherently good or bad, but what I choose to make of it, I have power. I have choice. This is simply experience. I choose to flow with it, or resist it. Resisting takes effort, flowing takes wisdom. Uh oh, did I say that? Kinda judgmental, but I will let it stand.

Being happy generates energy. Being miserable uses energy. Using low vibrational words brings us down. Using high vibrational words raises us up. Having an attitude of positivity keeps us moving in ease. Having an attitude of negativity mires us in many ways.

There are days when I can barely get out of bed. When I am being negative, I feel lazy, worthless, and then I get depressed. When I remember I have choice, I choose to enjoy a soft day of snoozing and reading, video games, movies, dozing, cat patting, and other lovely indulgences. I feel respectful of my being. I love my company. The only difference between the two is my attitude and judgment.

When I notice language I use that brings me down, I modify it. I find words that might be completely neutral for you, but that make me feel awful. I do what I can to stop using them.

How have I changed from being my own downer to choosing to elevate my being?

© Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 10292014

Highs and Lows

Highs and Lows

A particular topic has come up in my space several times this week, as they do, and I drew the best card to let me talk about it, so I will.

The card I drew is, “Why am I happy?”

Happiness is not for the weak or faint of heart. Being happy in a world where the norm is grim is a daily challenge. Our culture worships fear and anger, nurtures depression and, for all it’s talk about wellness, lavishes attention on illness, suffering, and disease.

Happy people provide less profit. Misery is a better consumer. But I digress.

The topic that came up this week was pessimism and optimism.

Each side, if you will, thinks the other side is wrong. Each side feels a little smug about knowing the truth.

We always run into trouble when we deal in extremes. (Heh heh, did you notice that I used the word, “always?” Never do that. Heh heh, did it again.)

I am, for all my talk of happiness, not an optimist. I do not believe this the the best of all possible worlds. Nor am I a pessimist believing that the world is inherently evil. Maybe I am an opportunist, since I look for opportunities. Or maybe I will mint a new word and call myself an appreciationist, starting my morning with a nice little list of appreciations. But I digress.

I am quite capable of thinking thoughts so horrible that Mr. King would blench. When I do that, I feel bad. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly like to feel bad. I would, most of the time, rather feel good.

It’s not ethics or ethos. It’s not morality or being right, it’s physiology. Thoughts are energy. They vibrate, if you will, at various frequencies. When I am thinking crappy thoughts, they vibrate low. Low vibrations correlate with emotions like fear, anger, disgust, contempt. When I am thinking uplifting thoughts, they vibrate high. High vibrations correlate with happiness.

When I am all frowny, or slumpy, or, to use a phrase that’s making the rounds these days, have a bitch-face on, I will have a corresponding emotional response, which, in turn, will create icky feelings.

When I think of things that make me smile, when I am uplifted, I have a corresponding emotional response, and corresponding feeling of well being.

Physiology. Why would I choose to feel good?

Remembering that the cultural norm is to feel bad is helpful to me because I like to feel like I’m bucking the system a bit. Remembering that of all the fundamental seven emotions; angry, sad, happy, scared, surprised, disgusted, contemptuous; only one is light, is helpful to me because I like a little challenge.

Happiness is a grownup emotion. Are you mature enough to handle happiness?

How have I changed from wallowing in low vibrations to revelling in high vibrations?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 11052013