Come inside; relax to take a load off and let's talk for a moment. I hope your life is good and fruitful. When words are shared that encourage, empower and construct, they serve to propel an individual to aspire to be the best that they can be. Words that affect us in positive ways impact our self esteem and how we experience ourselves and others.

Words that criticize, put down and dehumanize others leave life long scars on the psyche of the people who experience them.

“You will never be anything!”
“You were a mistake!”
“You never do anything right!”

These words can drag a person down in such a fashion that they live their life as though they were true. The words we speak are affecting the life experiences of others, as well as affecting us. An old saying is “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Well, the problem with that old tale is that it is NOT true. The truth is that “sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can truly kill you”. The question is, are your words having a negative or positive impact on others.

Words we have heard in our life are often repeated by us, even if we experienced them as negative. In our relationships we are often more revealing of our feelings with those closest to us. In this intimate space is where the impact of words has the greatest impact to either build up or tear down those who are significant to us. In relationships of intimacy whether it is family, personal friends, significant other, etc is where there is the greatest tendency to abuse others with words.

Think about the people you have said something positive to today. Now think of the people you have said something negative to today and ask yourself a few questions, what did I want to share with this person? Did I achieve it and leave a positive impact or was it negative? Every word that leaves our mouth is truly the meditation of our hearts, and we are responsible for them. In whatever way you are moved to think about the words you say, just remember that they are powerful enough to kill a person’s spirit or propel them to their highest ideals. Words we put in motion stay in motion until we change them. We have the power to change the negative things we say if we desire because words are truly very powerful in their long term effects.

Your Comments and Feedback are welcome.

Author's Bio: 

Dr Sheafe has over 24 years of clinical experience in marriage counseling & family therapy. She specializes in: substance abuse treatment, drug addiction, sex therapy and couples counseling. She can assist with recovery from emotional, verbal, physical and drug abuse. Dr Sheafe is considered an expert on domestic violence and issues related to childhood trauma and porn addiction. She has worked with thousands of clients throughout the United States & Europe. She States, “I offer solid, down-to-earth guidance!” She is called upon by litigators as an ‘Expert Witness’ for issues related to sexual trauma. She offers phone counseling or in-person visits for those living in South East Virginia. For complete information please visit: http://www.drsadiesheafe.com/telephoneconsultation.html or email her at
Sadie@Dr Sheafe.com. Most Insurance accepted.

Dr Sheafe is a Board Certified Clinical Sexologist, American Board of Sexology Diplomate, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker.She is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Currently, she serves as the Chairman, Virginia Legislative Committee: National Association Social Work, (NASW) and Virginia, Regional Representative for Hampton Roads, Virginia; Member, American Board of Clinical Sexologists and the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). She has been appointed to the Mental Health Advisory Council Board for the city of Portsmouth, Virginia and was elected to the State Board of Directors for NASW. She is currently the Chairman of the Department of Veterans Affairs Social Work Professional Standards Board, Virgina and an Adjunct Professor at Norfolk State University in the Doctoral and Masters Degree Programs for Social Work.