The Power of Words

Here are some phrases you never hear:

"I'm AIDS."

"I'm Lupus."

"I'm a bone fracture."

So why are there phrases like this?

"I'm bipolar."

"I'm schizophrenic."

"I'm crazy."

It may not seem like a big deal to everyone. The emphasis on certain words is interpreted in varying measures by each person, and the difference of being and having something may not even register to some. But. It does to me. I have a real pet peeve about phrases like "I'm bipolar". We hear it said like that everywhere. In movies. In the news. In conversations. It's even used to describe people who do not even have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. If a person is in a bad mood or emotional, they are automatically penned "bipolar". Is this acceptable to you?

This is why I have a problem with it:

"I'm bipolar" suggests that your whole body is wrapped up in this word; it becomes the definition of everything about you. It owns you. You are a slave to society's views about your mental illness, and you're seemingly complacent about it. Stigma feeds off of you.

"I have bipolar disorder" tells a different story, and a more accurate one. You are an individual with many traits and characteristics. You may have a distinct birth mark, a knack for mathematics, a perfectly aligned set of teeth. Among all your visual and perceived traits, you have an illness-a flaw in your chemistry-and it affects you in certain ways. It can appear to take over your whole being at times and muddle the regular attributes of your personality. But you have it. It does not have you.  This particular aspect of your life can be treated, subdued, survived. It does not own you. Just like a broken bone, a part of you may be wounded, but you as a whole are not a broken person.

Remember this in your self-talk and when you are describing your illness to others. It will make a difference in how you perceive yourself, and it just might portray a more realistic image of mental illness to those around you. Words have a certain power to them, and you can choose to use uplifting ones or degrading ones. The words you choose will impact your entire view of life. Choose words that reflect your true self, and never let your illness define you.