Here's a quick, three-minute tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective.

Today's topic explores the word "should" and how using "should statements" can lead to things like anxiety, feeling down about ourselves and even feeling less motivated. 

The use of should statements is pretty common and most of us tell ourselves that we "should" be doing one thing or another at some point, and these types of statements can have a pretty big impact on self-esteem and self-confidence. 

Not only can these statements carry hints of self-criticism and judgement, but they're also vague and don't really provide that much information that would allow you to make a change.  

The good thing is that if you do notice yourself using the word "should" a lot, one way to try and counteract the tendency and even the effects is to see if you can replace the word "should" with "could." 

So instead of saying something like "I should eat healthier," you might say: "I could eat healthier." 

The word "could" implies that you have a choice and when we give ourselves a choice, rather than shaming ourselves to do something, it's much more motivating and more likely that we will follow through.

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*Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional.