144. How Communication Shapes Our Mental Health

Mental well-being is a state that enables us to handle stress, recognize our abilities, and contribute to our communities. In this episode, Alejandra Siroka explores the important relationship between language and our well being.

 

Unhealthy communication habits such as gaslighting, abusive and dehumanizing language in our interactions can lead to mental health struggles like low-self esteem, depression and anxiety. For a deeper dive into these topics, check out episodes #34 on gaslighting and #120 on dehumanizing language in relationships. 

 

Conversely, empathetic, kind, and supportive communication can promote mental well-being, maintaining healthy relationships and self-perception.

 

To contribute to our own mental well-being and that of those around us, here are five suggestions from Alejandra:

1. Discuss mental health issues openly and respectfully.
2. Be aware of your internal dialogue. For communication tools to bring awareness to your internal dialogue, listen to episodes #112 through #117 and episode #120.
3. Learn to use neutral, empathic, and kind language.
4. Work with your biases and bring awareness to the messages you inherited and still perpetuate.
5. Learn to talk about your needs and seek collaboration and support from others when you need it. For more on skillfully communicating needs, listen to episodes #138 through #142.

 

Find all these episodes at www.languagealchemy.com or on your favorite podcast platform.

 

Quotes

• “When you think about what it is that we have available with us to make decisions, to build relationships and to shape the world we live in, that’s when you can clearly see that it is our language and how we use our language to communicate that allow us to do all these things. When our mental health is affected, we have trouble functioning in life. So it’s harder for us to make decisions, to develop and maintain satisfying relationships, and to shape our lives in alignment with our vision or our values.” (03:07 | Alejandra Siroka) 
• “Communication plays a huge role in our mental health and well-being.” (03:48 | Alejandra Siroka) 
• “Communication has a huge role in mental health as well as in mental illness. The language we use to communicate is so powerful that it can create mental illness, it can maintain mental health, and it can also contribute to bringing healing to our mental condition.” (08:26 | Alejandra Siroka)  

 

Links

To work with Alejandra, visit: www.languagealchemy.com/workwithme

To join the Language Alchemy mailing list, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com

To ask questions you'd like Alejandra to answer in the podcast, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/podcastquestion

To find out about 1:1 transformative communication coaching with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/oneonone

To find out about couple transformative communication coaching with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/couples

To schedule a reduced-rate coaching consultation with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/newclient

To follow Alejandra on instagram follow @languagealchemy

Podcast Music composed by Gary Lapow: open.spotify.com/artist/1HlMhcNfKIELxYil5mVqD

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm