In my clinic and sessions, I meet many students who are not broken by life...

They are broken by someone's words.

Sometimes it starts with just one line:

"You can't do it."

"You're not good enough."

"Look at your face..."

If a child is already sensitive or struggles with self-doubt, these statements do not fade away.

They linger in the mind for years, like background noise that never stops.

My own daughter went through this – in Grade 1, her teacher scolded her severely for talking to a friend, and after that she became so quiet in school that by Grade 10, almost every teacher told me, “She is very Bright but she does not talk to anyone” years later while watching a movie with a similar scene, she looked at me and said, “Mummy, that happened to me too.”

Research also shows that repeated use of hurtful language can gradually damage self-esteem and increase the risk of anxiety and depression over time.

I have seen confident students go completely silent after being publicly insulted by a teacher, parent, or friend, and I have also seen anxious teenagers gradually open up and blossom because someone chose to speak with love instead of judgment. Treating and speaking with love can boost mood, confidence, and a sense of connection, especially in young people.

That is the power of words.

They can be a wound or a turning point.

An obstacle or a blessing.

So today, pause for just a second before speaking to your child, student, colleague, housekeeper, or even yourself.

Ask -"Will my words heal, or will they hurt?"

You might forget that sentence in a minute.

But the other person will remember it for a lifetime.

If you are reading this, perhaps it is to remind you,

Be that one voice of kindness in someone's story🙏