Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Getting out of a slump might be as easy as exploring a new vocabulary. The mind uses words, and everything begins with a word. When we’re down, all of the words are negative. If you feel stuck in your mind, look up new words. For example, if you feel dejected, look for direct antonyms of that word, like cheerful. If you’re lonely, look up antonyms for lonely – popular, social, and outgoing.
If you can come up with new words, you can envision new emotions and behaviors. This does take some work, but words have power. Emotional intelligence is developing a new vocabulary. New words can open doors to new feelings. I call this “crossing the line.”
Years ago, after a break up of a long-term relationship, I was so destitute that I turned to journaling. I had heard it could help, so I tried. I drew a line right down the center of the page, and on the left side I listed how I felt. The words were grim – lonely, old, listless, sour, unlovable, isolated, lonely, etc. I knew all kinds of negative emotions, but I realized that my vocabulary was very limited on the positive side. On the right side of the page, I tried to list how I wanted to feel. I couldn’t even think of anything other than happy, yet on the left, I could think of what seemed like hundreds of negative emotions. I was out of balance. I had to get creative and to find new, positive words to add to my list. I did a Google image search for words like, ecstatic, euphoric, enchanted, etc. The photos helped! If you could envision feelings defined with new words, the creative mind could eventually pull you out of a slump. Try it. It always works for me.