SAME WORDS, NEW VOCABULARY

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“Man is a talking animal and he will always let himself be swayed by the power of the word.”
—Simone de Beauvoir 

PROBLEMS VS. POSSIBILITIES

Why is it so hard for us to think of health as anything other than a problem? We might be discussing the weather with friends, and before we know it the conversation has veered to the latest alarming health news or the recent illness of someone we know.

Yet with a little prompting, friends may happily share experiences that reflect their healthiness. For example, when I asked a cousin about what surprised her about her recent international travel, she shared how easily she had adjusted to the changes of new time zones and new foods. I asked another friend (who happens to be small-sized) what’s been going well for her lately, and she spoke of single-handedly loading fifty-pound bags of mulch into her pick-up truck. I was impressed and uplifted by these feats and wondered why these conversations didn’t occur more spontaneously.

One possible explanation for the dearth of healthiness-related conversations is that we lack the ready vocabulary for it. If our perceptions of health skew toward problems, our routine vocabulary—the set of words we use to describe health—may likewise skew toward problems and constrain our ability to view health from any other perspective. But if our routine vocabulary also included words that described health as a means for generating high personal capability, adaptability, and performance, our perception of health would become broader and more balanced.

The good news about increasing healthiness vocabulary is that no flash cards are needed! Since we already know the words, we just need to strengthen the association between them and healthiness.   

NEW USES FOR OLD WORDS

If healthiness can be defined as “the condition of being sound in body [and mind],” as Merriam-Webster.com does, then what words or special terms would we want to include in its vocabulary? Words like heartiness, strength, wholesomeness, soundness, vigor, vitality, robustness, hardiness, and liveliness, for example, are appropriate and appealing. Even reading them in a sentence is energizing and inspiring.

Once we give more attention to words that describe healthiness, they become ambassadors on a mission to boost our perception of health as a resource instead of a problem. They are also easier to recognize and use in conversation. The Ambassadors For Healthiness word graphic below serves as a portable vocabulary organizer and reminder to use the vocabulary often.

AMBASSADORS FOR HEALTHINESS

WORDS INFLUENCE OUR CAPACITY TO CREATE HEALTHINESS

If, as Simone de Beauvoir notes, we are swayed by the power of words, then instead of being swayed by words that describe health problems, why not be swayed by words that describe health’s possibilities? By choosing words purposefully, we can harness their power to improve our thoughts, perceptions, conversations, and capacity to create more healthiness.

Skillfully using vocabulary that helps us perceive health as a resource is just one of the approaches for creating more healthiness. Fortunately, other creative options can also be found in the High Health Network. If you or your company want extraordinary health-building approaches, connection, and belonging, contact us to find out more.

Joyce M. Young, MD, MPH
Managing Director, Advanced Wellness Systems
Lead Expert for the High Health Network

 Photo by Patrick on Pexels

Your colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems