5 Tips for Healthy Communication

As we approach the holidays, it’s not just food that affects health. Words can, too.

’Tis the season for … food. And lots of it. I don’t even celebrate most of the fall and winter holidays, and yet I find it hard to resist the everything-pumpkin and everything-peppermint mountains at the grocery stores. I am surrounded by all my favorite treats!

Of course, what you consume dramatically impacts your health, your appearance, and how you feel. But food is not the only thing you consume. Do you know what else affects those things? Words. The words that you consume, digest, and assimilate shape your life. They affect your mental health, how you present yourself to others, and your emotions.

In the spirit of preparing for year-end deadlines, crammed schedules, insufficient staffing, and an uptick in office and family gatherings, here are some common health and wellness axioms that apply to your communication, too. (The idea is that if I can stick to the communication diet, I will be able to eat all the pumpkin gingersnaps I want, guilt free. Here’s hoping.)

1. Don’t Take Candy From Strangers.

While it’s true that for certain holidays this advice gets thrown out the window (like the one where you knock on strangers’ doors and take candy from them), in general we are…