Have you ever found it difficult to express how you feel?
Sep 15, 2020
Do you find it sometimes hard to find the words to share what's on your heart and mind?
Have you ever found that your choice of words could have been better to express your heartache pain, or that these messages and emotions could have been better conveyed to avoid harm to others?
Do you find it hard to express joy, even when you are happy?
Communication is an integral part of our lives.
It is a need of the spirit.
We communicate in many different ways, through our eyes, body language, voice and mediums like singing, art, dance and music. We communicate face to face or via text, telephone, email, mail or video calls.
Communication is an expression of how we think and feel and it impacts on our quality of life and relationships.
How we choose to convey our message also affects our relationships.
Having people we trust to connect with on a deeper level, to share feelings honestly and openly, allows for authentic expression.
Only in a safe environment do we express ourselves honestly.
We can often have breakdown in communication with those we love, work with or in other social settings.
We can also share unintended messages, or make assumptions about what we are hearing, seeing and thinking about the communication of others.
Working on improving our communication skills is crucial for healthy relationships.
As healthcare professionals and providers it is important to remeber this need of the spirit with our health partners and ourselves. Many times we do the communicating and forget to truly hear or recognize the subtle signs of communication from our health partners (patients) this is true for even those we care for.
Consider these 3 questions to ask and reflect on:
how do we talk to ourselves?
Are we harsh and critical vs gentle and encouraging?How we talk to ourselves will also reflect how we communicate with others.
Do you bottle things up and refrain from saying things that need to be said, because you are worried about how it will be taken?Suppressing our natural way of expression through these need to communicate can be disheartening for you and for those around you.
This need of the spirit is vital to having quality relationships and if not nurtured can cause distress.
Honouring and Serving,
Simran K. Rattan MD
Simran K. Rattan MD