Labeling someone hurts (the damaging effects & restoration)

I have a serious love affair with labels. Me and my label making machine? Let’s just say if labeling was an Olympic sport, I’d be showing off at least one Gold medal on my wall.

In a nicely labeled frame, of course.

There are some labels though, different kinds, that I hate.

Stupid, loser, worthless… you can fill in the blanks. Some words are just cruel.

Conversely, other labels that are assigned to us, maybe we can take back. We can own the words instead of letting them be perceived as a negative asset.

How about Quiet (or reflective)? Excitable (passionate)?  Talkative (idea person)? Impulsive (action orientated)? Bossy (leader)?

Many words have an immediate reaction associated with them, but if we really think about it, they could be interpreted thoughtfully. With positive feelings instead of an initial bristling.

Is it okay to be dramatic? That, I confess, used to be my trigger word. Because I knew it wasn’t intended to be complimentary.  But, again I ask you, is it okay to be dramatic?

There is a difference between histrionics and enthusiasm. Both might be assigned the word dramatic.

how do labels affect our identities?

Reject the labels that don’t reflect who you really are.

I suggest we consider our words carefully. That we choose wisely before we give someone a title that makes them feel like something is wrong with them. One that implies that they are less than because their personality is different from our own.

Guess what?

I can be dramatic, it is true. But I am choosing to own the word, to self-perceive it as a positive.

What I won’t do ever again? Feel like being dramatic is a bad thing. That it defines me, implies I am flawed. Feel shame because someone doesn’t understand how I am created. (Read about being an HSP here)

Labels do that to people when we assign them—without considering their larger picture.

Yes, my feelings my feelings really are all. that. big.  There is more to that story. Want to know what dramatic also means to me?

I am in awe of the world around me. Life is fascinating to me. I am less jaded and more curious. Big feelings also mean big hearts and big love and big everything else that is positive.

I tend towards imaginative thinking and believe in possibilities. Without dreams—big dreams, nothing happens.

Effects of labeling a child in her adult life

I am a realist who never forgets that things could be, might be, should be…

My heart is often overflowing with boundless enthusiasm.

You won’t catch me being rude to the checkers and loudly vocalizing my impatience in line. I am not the person at a party who has to be the loudest and draw attention to myself. That kind of drama irritates me as well. Because dramatic is a fine line.

Funny thing is?

Seldom do people who know me now see me in this light. For many years I was so afraid to be myself, because  I wasn’t sure if dramatic was acceptable.

Who cares? It is just one facet! I am often seen as laid back…the opposite. Go figure.

Positive effects of labeling

I think it is worthwhile to examine your own labels. Clean out the old thoughts and organize them in a new way. Put them in a way that makes sense to you, to who you are today.

Labels can be a powerful thing when we attach them to ourselves, instead of catching them from anyone else.

No matter what you have heard, or imagined others thought of you, it is never too late to choose your own labels. 

Have you always wanted to be artistic? Bold? Generous? Thoughtful?  Start today. Give yourself a new label. You are made for this moment! On that note, I hope you will consider this…

Whichever word you choose? One word is never enough to define us. We are works of art designed by the Grand Creator. We are not a word, we are so much more than that.

You are so amazing, that a word, or every word you know, could never accurately describe your unique worth. Remember that it only matters who God says you are. Not other people!

What word can you take back and flip it into something positive? Mine is “sensitive”… click here to read how I did it!

Resources to encourage you:

• The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?
• Not Just A Mom: The Extraordinary Worth of Motherhood & Homemaking 
• Starting Over: Your Life Beyond Regrets
• The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
• CS Lewis Inspirational  Wall Art
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