Killer Fillers³

So uh, I decided that I am going to write you guys a blog this week about um, you know, those killer fillers we use in like all of our sentences and during speeches... 

Holy bleep! Even typing that sentence was painful. Why do we insist on butchering our language? You all had better keep reading because I am positive that we have almost ALL been guilty of committing this habit! 

Looking back over countless speeches I have heard, I don’t think I can remember one that did not contain a word such as “um”, “uh”, “like” or more (most common fillers). Even teachers have killed their lectures with these deadly sentence fillers (you know who you are).
What I would like to know is, why we insist on adding these words to our sentences in places that make close to no sense at all. Honestly, I’m sure you are all thinking of the same thing. 

The worst are sentences that contain the word “like” because half the time it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! “So uh, did you see how like amazing those shoes were? Like I can’t even get over it.” 

I can’t even stay serious while typing this because I am just as guilty as the rest of you. If not more... 
Let’s face it, it doesn’t make us sound any smarter.

One of the main reasons why we add these words to our sentences is because we are trying to think and speak at the same time. Our brains are trying to “plan” and “execute” simultaneously⁴. Also, because we are starting to lose our train of thought or we don’t know what else to talk about. Once we say one of these fillers, our audience is basically thinking: “uh oh, you’re in trouble”⁴. It is almost as if we are trying to save our speeches by giving our brains a few extra seconds to think. 

Something I found funny is that while giving a speech, “uh” and “um” can have two different meanings to the audience. “Uh” will tell listeners that you are about to take a short pause, while “um” indicates a slightly longer pause⁴. It is still not pretty to hear in a speech, yet it is interesting.

Ironically, a description used to explain the difference between hearing “uh” and “um” in a speech is, if the speaker is experienced and bad at presenting he will say “um”, but if he is inexperienced and bad at presenting he will say “uh”³.

Well that is reassuring...

Many people like to believe that these “verbal viruses” are caused by anxiety, yet there is no actual research that proves this or proves any relation between this habit and certain emotions⁴. 

Shoot, I guess we can’t exactly identify our feelings for this one...

Luckily for us, there are many ways that we can try and stop this habit! From asking others to listen to our speech, to studying it in advance, to recording it and listening to it ourselves³! The options are endless, just waiting for us to help fix the disasters we’ve created! 

A very important method of practice is to “embrace the silence”². It is important for us all to realize that a short pause in our speech is good, because it lets the audience retain what we have just said²! It may seem like an eternity, but trust me, it’s not.

The downside to being more aware of this habit is that you hear every one of your mistakes every time you say them. You catch yourself saying some, you catch others saying some; it is honestly a nightmare. However, being more aware of doing this is what will help you to stop.
I hope we can all learn to stop this habit so that we can be experienced and good speakers in front of a crowd!
Would you like to read more about this habit? Click here and become an expert on perfect speeches!

3 down, 5 to go!

Thanks for reading!

¹ http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97983

² http://www.morebettersmarts.com/2011/10/10-tricks-to-stop-saying-um-while-speaking/

³ http://thomrainer.com/2013/04/01/um-uh-and-you-know-killer-fillers-in-public-speaking/

⁴ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/06/14/becoming-well-spoken-how-to-minimize-your-uhs-and-ums/

Crack, crack, crack...

Well here I am, sitting at my computer contemplating what kind of amazing blog I’m going to write for you guys this week. And oh! What am I doing? I’m cracking my fingers! 

Unlike nail biting, this habit is very difficult to crack (pun intended). I’m sure many of you can relate. 

I have suffered from this habit for as long as I can remember and every time I do it I would get a lecture from someone telling me how bad it is or that I will get arthritis. What I would like to do is find out if this is true. Is knuckle cracking a problem that is bad for our health,     or is it simply another habit that comes upon us mindlessly? 

What exactly is knuckle cracking? 

Some of you may not want to know. However, for the rest of you; each of our joints contains a liquid called synovial fluid, which forms in small bags inside of our joints. As we pull our joints apart to hear or feel the “cracking” sensation, the bag is pulled apart and pops. One can hear the sound of popping as carbon dioxide is released from the bag.  Sounds painful... However, the bags reform and refill shortly after, which is why we can continue cracking our joints. ¹

Well, I had no idea that is how it worked. I also find it somewhat disturbing. It almost makes me want to stop this habit... Almost.

Another important question that should be answered is if this habit is bad for you?

People that are disgusted by the sound of knuckles popping will tell the individual that it can cause arthritis or other severe joint problems in the future just to make them stop. However, there are studies that show that this habit does not directly lead to arthritis. Nevertheless, it could possibly progress into other joint problems in the future. The constant bending and pulling of the joint can “overstretch their ligaments and cartilage,”¹, this could eventually lead to injuries with the tissues and can cause inflammation, swelling and poor grip. ¹

Yet for some people, cracking their knuckles can work as a stress reliever, even if the relief is only momentary. It can offer some relief while they are typing long essays or are spending long hours at the computer. Cracking their knuckles can relieve the stress and stiffness in their joints. ¹

As you can see, it is a complex habit. There isn’t a wrong opinion on this topic, however, it would be wise to remain cautious so you don’t harm the ligaments in your fingers. It’s a little scary to think about as I constantly crack and crack and crack. So what am I going to do? Just as with other habits, you must identify what you are feeling when you are doing them. May it be stress, anxiety, boredom; there is surely a feeling that causes you to do this. Personally those are the three feelings I find most common.

A little trick that you could use to stop this is by making a fist with your hand if your fingers are feeling tense or strained. Release it after about a minute. ¹ 
If this is a chronic problem for you and you need to fix it immediately, you could even try wearing socks over your hands.¹ Silly I know, but some people will try anything to save their joints from this trauma. I realize it is not 100% harmful, but it can’t possibly be good for us. Especially if one does it a lot. 
Another trick that I find quite ironic that can stop this habit is teaching your fingers to begin other habits that are less harmful, such as taping your fingers or playing with your hair. ¹

There are many things that could be done (quick tricks and tips), try and find something that floats your boat. I’m going to need to try everything to get rid of this habit. 

I believe that this habit has gotten out of hand for many and it is important to try and end it before it gets worse. It is important to control your feelings, identify them and deal with them intelligently. We wouldn’t want to affect the functionality of our hands by ignoring what our mind is trying to tell us about how we feel. Our hands are kind of important I’d say. 

I hope this was somewhat helpful! If you would like more information on this habit, comment and let me know!

Click here for further information containing facts and myths about this habit.

2 down, 6 to go!

Talk to you soon!

¹ http://www.expertclinic.org/Is-Cracking-Your-Knuckles-Bad.html

Nail Biting

What better way to kick off this blog then by tackling one of the most common habits of them all: NAIL BITING! *Insert dramatic sound effect here*

All right, in all seriousness, this habit can legitimately be a crisis for many people. It certainly was for me! I could not remember going a single day without biting or picking at my nails. They were incredibly short, I honestly don’t believe I could have gotten them any shorter. The worst part about it was that I didn’t even know when I was doing it. It’s almost as if I would wake up the next day with shorter nails. I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that my brain has a mind of it’s own. How can it force me to do things like this without me even noticing?

Luckily, I have resolved my nail biting habits... Somewhat. I realize that I started doing it when I was nervous or on edge, or when I was stressed out of angry. I would bite my nails to the tips. I knew I needed to fix this and I started off slowly.

After my grade eight graduation, I saw how pretty the other girl’s nails were and I wanted mine to be the same. I decided I would go one week without biting them. Whenever I had the urge, I would try and chew on a piece of gum or a pen and focus on something else.

The hardest part was identifying the emotion I was feeling when I started biting my nails. Once I realized that, the rest was a piece of cake. I would be more aware of my emotions and I would find other ways of dealing with them (coping methods are different for everyone, find one that works for you).

However, there are other ways to end these habits, such as putting bandages or tape over the nails, but from experience I know that this can be VERY irritating. Especially while trying to accomplish anything that requires the tips of your fingers. Or you could try soaking your nails in a flavor that disgusts you. This will definitely keep those fingers away from your mouth.

Some of you may read this and think that none of this will work for you, which could be very true. Believe it or not, for some people, ending their nail biting habits can be more difficult than quitting smoking¹. Once the habit turns into a problem then new issues can arise. Constant nail biting can lead to infections and may even cause a person to have trouble using their hands. At this point, it is diagnosed as an obsessive compulsive disorder. ¹ This is caused by unreasonable thoughts and fears that lead to repetitive behaviors. ¹ Most nail biters do not get to this point, however it is not uncommon for it to develop into a disorder if you do not identify the reasons behind it or don’t try to stop it. I am hoping this is not the case for my wonderful readers! There are of course many other ways to cope with this bad habit. I personally have tried a lot! If none of this works for you, comment on my blog! We can figure some ways out together. I will even try to post some extra links that could even help you in the future!

One habit down, seven to go.

Stay tuned!

¹ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227357/Nail-biting-bad-habit-Experts-classify-addiction-mental-disorder.html