you again here this week and I just wanted to follow up a little bit on our conversation

last week when we talked a little bit about the news and how most news stories is just

so negative and without us maybe even realizing how much negativity that brings into our lives,

it can really affect our mood and maybe even be contributing back to our depression, those

sort of things. I was just talking with you before about how

the words that we used, kind of similar. Tell me a little bit about that.

Bryan: Yeah, that’s really true. The words we used can really drastically affect the

way we feel about ourselves. For example, when someone asked you, “How you’re doing?”

Instead of saying, “Fine,” or whatever which is kind of the standard response to,

“I’m just saying hello to you”, make the conscious effort to say, “I’m doing

great. Well, I’m doing good.” Even if you don’t really feel it, just make

the conscious effort to say it and the mere fact to just verbalizing it will help make

it so. Even if it’s just for a little bit of time but …

Redge: Yeah, that’s really interesting, and I can see the point. I’m curious about

when I’m saying that and I’m not necessarily feeling it, does that create an incongruence

or how does that play out? Bryan: Well, if you’re suffering with depression,

it’s going to take some work to get out of it. There’s no question there. If you

truly want to get out of it, how that real desire to get out of it, this is an easy step

you can take to start yourself on the path to recovery.

Redge: I mean, that’s really cool if it’s a matter of using some different words. That

doesn’t necessarily seem as heard as some of the other things that we might try to overcome

our depression. Give me some other examples of words that we could use and how we can

be empowering or disempowering ourselves with the words we use?

Bryan: A real good one is try. If someone says, “I’m going to try to do something,”

by and large, they’re not going to do it. I mean, has anyone ever told you they’re

going to try and make it to your party or they’re going to try and stop at the store

on their way home? Redge: Yeah, it’s not going to happen.

Bryan: It’s like, try implies failure. You don’t try and open a door. You either open

the door or not unless you don’t have a key for it.

Redge: Yeah. I mean right there, there’s a sort of boldness in removing the word from

your vocabulary. Bryan: Absolutely. If you surprise how many

times people actually say try without even thinking about it.

Redge: How do we go about becoming more aware of the things that we’re saying in the effect

that it has on us? Bryan: Just making this conscious up, start

with the things saying that you feel good or when someone ask you, “How you’re doing

today?” Just say, “Good.” Eliminate try. Just either are going to do something

or you aren’t or not. Redge: Yeah, that makes sense. Sort of start

with one word that you realize that you use and just try and make a conscious effort to

start noticing when you use that word. Bryan: Like right there, you just said, “try

to make a conscious effort” there. Redge: Wow. Oh man, it just sneaks right in,

doesn’t it? Bryan: Yeah. You have to make that choice

to make a conscious effort to eliminate try from your vocabulary.

Redge: Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. I’m going to make a conscious effort to look for

the words that are not helping me and eliminating them. There we go, I didn’t say try. I have

to work at it.