Is lockdown language impacting our mindset?
For this blog post I’ve teamed up with the fabulous Shelley Bosworth of Shelley Bosworth Coaching to explore the changing face of language during lockdown and the impact it’s having on our mindset and emotional wellbeing.
Pandemic, furloughed, self-isolation, quarantine, ventilator, antibodies, lockdown. These are all words that have become part of our day to day language in the last few months but they’re words that many of us have barely used before. Hands up who has ever used the word furloughed, meaning a leave of absence from work, in a sentence before lockdown started? Not many of you I’m guessing. Furloughed has now become a word that we hear on a daily basis and it is part of our everyday vocabulary. It is nearly 4pm and I’m sure I’ve used the word ‘furloughed’ at least 8 times so far today. I can’t think of a time I’ve ever used this word before the Covid-19 crisis started.
As part of the ‘new normal’ of life in lockdown words and phrases such as ‘quarantine’ and ‘self-isolating’ have become embedded in our daily vocabulary and they do have quite powerful negative connotations. We are being exposed to these words and phrases every day, either on the news, in print or as part of our daily conversations and Zoom calls. Can anyone put a positive spin on the word ‘pandemic’ or ‘quarantine’? Even the world’s best spin doctor is going to struggle with that one.
So how exactly is having an increased exposure to this kind of negative and anxiety inducing language having an impact on our wellbeing and mindset? Personally speaking, I know I’ve definitely had to switch off the TV or radio when it’s all getting a bit too much and I feel overloaded with the language of lockdown, otherwise known as a ‘coronadose’. Words are powerful things and they can never be underestimated. The impact that they have stays with us and there is no doubt that the constant repetition of phrases like ‘pandemic’, ‘lockdown’ and ‘virus’ have affected our mood and state of mind.
Given that I know more about words than I do about mindsets, I wanted to get some input from a professional. Here Shelley Bosworth, accredited Life & Mindset Coach, shares her thoughts on the subject.
Who else grew up with the phrase ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ repeated after every playground kerfuffle and childhood argument? The problem is that the words we are told, with the very best of intentions, are planted in our subconscious throughout life and we attach meaning to them based on our experiences, our emotions, our differing characters and they can actually hurt quite a bit!
And then when we think about our current circumstances and the language that has been somehow attached to this ‘new normal’ we find ourselves living in, you can absolutely see a theme of negativity. Subtle as it is, it’s there. And the strong likelihood is it will stay there because the majority of us attach a fairly negative view (understandably!) to this situation and therefore to the words that have become synonymous with the Covid 19 pandemic.
As a Mindset Coach I have learnt the power of our inner self talk and that our thoughts drive our beliefs, which in turn drive our actions and create our reality. How? You may ask, well consider this…
We control our brain. Yes, we do. It is ours, connected to every part of our human being. It is influenced and swayed by external factors, but we control it. There’s a lot of information for the brain to process at any point in time so it has to filter, it deletes, distorts, generalises, it cuts through … but only based on your thoughts.
So, as we find ourselves navigating waters we’ve never been in before, surely we need more strength and resilience than we’ve ever had to pull on? Yet we are absorbing words that promote feelings of negativity and despair. And we probably don’t even realise it. Subconsciously these words could be triggering old memories and they are almost definitely creating future beliefs. But the good news is, we can do something about it.
Shelley Bosworth, accredited Life & Mindset Coach
We can choose our own words, catch ourselves and consciously switch words out for more positive verbiage. We can make conscious choices about those that we allow to infiltrate our lives and our minds through the materials we decide to absorb. We can help others do the same by becoming aware and considering the phrases and words we use as we all move through this together. We can choose our response. In fact, that’s the most crucial choice we have in life. We get to choose in every moment our response to things that happen, things that are said and how we allow them to impact us right in the moment and beyond. A powerful quote springs to mind here ‘You never know how long your words will stay in someone’s mind, even long after you’ve forgotten them’.
As well as all the negative language that is currently swirling around in our heads, I’ve also noticed a renewed vigour for putting a humorous spin on things. We are Brits after all, and humour is what gets us through. I’m sure many of you have seen new words and phrases being shared over social media, which have become a kind of new ‘lockdown lingo’. ‘Coronacoaster’, referring to the constant rollercoaster of emotions we’re all experiencing, is one of my personal favourites. There’s also ‘quarantinis’, the random cocktails we’re inventing at home with whatever alcohol we have left in the cupboard, and ‘covidiot’, those people that just keep breaking the rules on public health advice. The list is endless, but as a nation we’ve done a fantastic job of putting a humorous spin on some of the bizarre situations we’ve found ourselves in during lockdown and the challenges we’ve faced.
One thing is for certain, language is always changing and evolving and we’re seeing that happen more than ever as part of the ‘new normal’ we’re currently experiencing. In this period of stress and uncertainty, it’s important to try and focus on the positive words and phrases that are still out there, words like ‘heroes’, ‘togetherness’ and ‘survivor’. It really isn’t all gloom and doom. If all else fails though, just switch off the news and grab yourself a ‘furlough merlot’. If you need any help cultivating your copy during lockdown, just check out my Services page or drop me an email.
A huge THANK YOU to the fabulous Shelley Bosworth for collaborating with me on this blog post. If you want to find out more about the fantastic work Shelley does as a Life & Mindset Coach, just check out her website at shelleybosworthcoaching.com