What if harmful conversations were like eating poison?

Have you ever had a conversation with someone, or overhead a conversation that others were having, that left you feeling as though you were eating poison?

No matter where you are stuck or overwhelmed, how does increasing your awareness about how the conversations you ingest either nourish or poison you support your optimal health?

I have.

In fact, I've swallowed several giant spoonfuls of poisonous words in the past month and it feels disgusting and gives me major indigestion.

And It also makes me very curious about two important things...

Are the people who are spewing the harmful conversations aware they are poisoning themselves and those around them? Are they filled to overflowing with poison and it feels like lightening their emotional load to flood onto others? Or are they so unaware that they don't realize that the poison is seeping out, like an insidious gas, polluting those around them?

And more importantly, why do I allow myself to ingest that poison?

Sometimes, I am surprised by a conversation and leave my mouth (and heart) open for a moment too long allowing the poison to get shoved in before I can prevent it. And other times, I am not skilled enough (yet) to quickly alleviate the sting of sharp words.

Regardless, I know the antidote to this poison.

It is the kind text from the good friend who nourishes me by texting me heart and red wine emojis, the lovely client who nourishes me by reminding me that my work with him continues to matter, my courageous new client who nourishes me by trusting her to walk next to her on her "straight-up-the-mountain-with-no-end-in-sight" climb...

Ah! Those things feel like eating a plate of beauty.

When I fill myself with nourishing conversations, the occasional surprise spoonful of poison doesn't have a chance of bringing me down. Or harming my health.

When I remember that I choose which conversations I take in - those that nourish me or those that poison me - it helps me remember that I am in control. And that normalizes my experience and feels super healthy.

Make remembering to intentionally choose which kinds of conversations you ingest, on a regular basis, a healthy habit.