Day 85 of Your Year to Wellness; Emails, Texting and IMs , Oh My

Click on the picture,look closely and see pre-historic text messages

Meaning what you Say

Okay, if you are just joining us in this year of wellness, you might be wondering what communication has to do with wellness; in a word, everything.

“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Then what about texts, ims and emails?

It’s been said that we lose about 70% of what we mean to say in an email. If that’s a fact then we must lose another 20% with a text. We communicate electronically because it’s quicker and we believe that quicker means more efficient.

A great deal of misunderstandings stem from our current mode of communication. It’s bad enough that we don’t know what to say, now, we don’t know how to say it.

There are unwritten rules by which we should all abide, but what are the rules? Who put them in place? And if they are so efficient, why aren’t we any better at saying what we mean?

Today, I’d like you to actually talk to the people in your house. STOP TEXTING THEM and I’ll stop yelling in caps.

Call the people you want to talk to and don’t be bothered if they don’t answer; do that thing we used to do back in the day before we just checked the caller id record and actually leave a voice mail message.

How we feel about ourselves is reflected in how we communicate. Begin practicing your love for yourself by expressing love for someone else.

Lately, I have become even more attentive to tones and phrasing. The pleasant sound of a loved one’s voice can soothe my soul. When I hear my children say Mommy, my eyes water with pride and when one of my siblings calls me by a childhood nickname I am renewed.

·         Today, talk someone’s ear off.

·         Listen without interrupting (I’m really working on that one.)

·         Leave a message for someone who rarely calls back --- just act like you don’t care.

·         And say I love you to others at least 13 times and to yourself even more.

From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

  From the wisdom of life, we listen and respond.

Be you, be well, be heard.

Bertice Berry, PhD.

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