Moving Mountains: One Word at a Time

Words can move mountains and change your life for the better

if we choose the right ones.

Victim, Survivor, Thriver, Triggered, Broken, and Story—these are just a few of the many words that can stand in the way of moving mountains and becoming my best self.

It’s not just a story; it’s my truth.
I am not a victim; I am powerful.
I don’t have to be a survivor or a thriver because I was abused; I can be whatever I want to be.
I am not triggered; I am experiencing a biological and emotional reaction to perceived harm.
I am not broken; I am whole.

These words were once my obstacles, my mountains, and they held power over me. Scientific studies show that positive and negative words affect us on a deep psychological level, significantly impacting the outcomes of our lives.

Science supports this.

A scientific experiment titled Do Words Hurt? found that negative words release stress- and anxiety-inducing hormones. The study concluded that negative words—whether spoken, heard, or thought—cause not only situational stress but can also contribute to long-term anxiety.

And what about positive thoughts and words?

In their book Words Can Change Your Brain, Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist at Thomas Jefferson University, and Mark Robert Waldman, a communications expert, found that a single word has the potential to influence genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.

Additional findings show that sustained positive thought not only improves the functions of our brains but also gives us a positive view of ourselves and trains our brains to see the good in others.

Words can move mountains and change your life for the better if we choose the right ones. 

We would love to hear from you. Please share the words that empower you to move mountains on our website under "Our Truths."

For more, visit our podcast Little Voices Big Impact and follow @littlevoicesoftruth on IG and TikTok.