 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
| |
| Habits |
 |
by Matthew Goodemote MPT, Dip MDT - June 13, 2010
|
Habits.
I heard myself talking the other day and I was amazed at what was coming out of my mouth. Have you ever done that? In the middle of a conversation, had this moment where it’s like you are listening to yourself talk from a distance. Even though I knew it was “me” talking it almost sounded like a complete stranger speaking in my voice out of my mouth.
I have had similar experiences like this on other occasions, but this time it really struck me with the power of getting hit between the eyes with a stick. It was a wake up call for sure.
Here’s what I said, “I honestly don’t care about XYZ and have no interest in talking about it.” The strange part of this story is that I had actually said this very thing to several different people. Fortunately in the middle of my little speech, it became obvious I did care about what I was claiming didn’t matter to me. In fact I was so interested in it that I kept telling people that I wasn’t interested in it.
Isn’t that weird? I am saying I don’t want to talk about it, but I keep finding ways to bring it up to complain about it and make sure everyone knows that “I don’t want to talk about it.” Thankfully I finally realized what I was doing.
This is a habit I think I share with a lot of other people. It seems like the very thing we are “trying” to avoid is the very thing we end up neck deep in. By focusing so much on what we don’t want we actually lose sight of what we do want. The more we repeat it the more it becomes a habit so engrained in our life that it is easy to overlook and even easier to justify why we are saying it. In my case the emphasis of how ‘unimportant” it is to me was my justification for talking about what I didn’t want to talk about.
This can happen to the best of us when it comes to dealing with physical ailments. We say that we want to “be well” but our language doesn’t match our actions. Often we try to explain and justify our inaction so people sympathize or at least accept our choices. We focus on why we are “not” well so much that we avoid doing the very thing we need to be well.
Let me give you an example. I had a patient a while back that said to me, “I am willing to do whatever it takes to get better.” Everything that is except what they need to do to get well. Often our mind then convinces us that we “tried” therapy or other medical interventions for help and they “didn’t work.” But if the truth were told, what we really did was talk about what stands in our way.
For example most every one knows that it would help them get well if they would, “stop watching TV…or stop eating sugary foods…or take 30 seconds every hour to take a few deep breaths…etc.” But what we end up doing is the very thing we know we should stop doing.
I think we mean well when we explain our determination to people, but I think we also tend to focus on the symptoms instead of the solutions. Our habits are stronger than or motivation/will power to be well.
Just like when I focused on what “I don’t want to talk about,” so much that it’s all I talk about. It’s obvious that the solution to not talking about something… is to not talk about it.
This may seem like a familiar topic I have talked about before, but just recently I read a study that sheds more light onto the subject. The study seems to verify how important our words are, specifically the words we use to complain.
This study was conducted using an MRI to track the areas of the brain that turn on when we use specific words. When the subject used words like “excruciating” and “severe” the location in the brain responsible for interpreting pain was turned on. Versus when the patient used neutral words like “hair cut,” nothing happened in the area where we interpret pain.
This means that just using the words to describe pain caused that area of the brain to fire. There was NO painful stimulus, just the words!
Not only did the area where we interpret pain turn on, but when the subjects were exposed to a painful stimulus, there pain was worse. In other words just using descriptions of pain resulted in more pain being felt. The authors concluded that words stimulate the brain the area of the where we interpret pain, and using these words magnifies our pain.
Just like when I focused on what I didn’t want to talk about so much, that it became the very thing I talked about. Focusing on painful descriptions over and over again actually leads you to having the very thing you are complaining you don’t want…more pain.
I have said a number of times that pain is defined as the “emotional” response to a painful stimulus. The more emotionally attached we are to the pain, the more pain we feel.
For those with chronic pain especially, check and see how often you talk about your pain and see what words you use to describe it. See if you can notice that the very thing you “say” you want to get rid of is the very thing you hold onto and keep through your actions and words. The more you describe your pain in terms of severity the more your tolerance to pain goes down.
I am NOT suggesting you try and pretend you don’t hurt. I AM saying notice what you do say and how often you say it. If you need something to break the habit try changing your language when you talk about your symptoms, use different words to describe your symptoms…notice I use the word “symptom” instead of “pain.” That is intentional!
You can also try to do what I did. Instead of talking about what you don’t want, focus on what you do want and put what you do want ahead of what you don’t want. Be careful in how you use words and what you focus on. Remember you CAN be well again. For the next week try stopping yourself from complaining about how bad you hurt and if you need to talk about it, use neutral words!
 Matthew Goodemote is the founder and owner of Community Physical Therapy & Wellness in Gloversville, NY. He has degrees in Exercise Science, Health Science, Physical Therapy, and he is one of just over 250 in the world with a Diploma from the McKenzie International Spine Institute. Matthew is recognized as an expert in the fields of Physical Therapy, orthopedics, spinal disorders, sports medicine, and wellness. He is routinely called upon to offer tips and suggestions relating to health and wellness. His unique approach makes him a highly sought after expert at different ends of the media spectrum. He has received requests to participate in studies for scientific journals, and to write articles for trade magazines and popular press magazines such as Fitness to offer proven recommendations that stand the test of time. More of Matt’s blogs can be found at http://www.matthewgoodemote.com/blog/.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE
You must be logged in
to recommend articles
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
