Language Matters — Why We Should Stop Saying “Suffering From”

You’ll have heard me say this before: language matters! (Especially negative language…)

I’ve shared already about my struggle to get people to say my “hard-to-pronounce” name correctly and my mission to reclaim the correct pronunciation of my faith, Sikhism, but lately there’s been another bee in my bonnet relating to language — when people use the phrase “suffering from” to talk about mental health challenges and other difficult life experiences.

I’m going to throw out there that “suffering from” is an incredibly negative way of framing someone else’s experiences. And using this negative language can contribute to the continued stigma around mental health challenges and other life experiences and challenges.

The way we speak can have a huge impact on those around us. In this video, I share why “suffering from” is problematic language and what to use instead.

Watch now!