"Words cut deeper than knives"

Having watched Inside Out, an animated feature that sets out to portray the complexity of human consciousness, I took time to reflect on how the inner workings of the mind influence our reactions to the occasional hiccups we come across in life.

Inside Out was about a girl, Riley Anderson, who experienced mixed emotions when her family moved from her childhood home in Minnesota to San Francisco. Riley's consciousness is depicted through five fictional characters housed inside her mind's headquarters, represented by Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, where each plays a role in shaping the girl's psyche, emotions and actions.

The narrative follows the five emotions, with Joy taking the lead, working together to deal with the emotional upheaval that Riley is going through in dealing with the changes in her life.

It happens to us every now and then. Where our mind is clouded by confusion, bitterness and sometimes, a burst of anger in reaction to circumstances beyond our control.

When we get into an argument, we tend to say things we are likely to regret. In the words of Canadian poet, William Chapman: "Words cut deeper than knives. A knife can be pulled out, words are embedded into our souls."

Looking back on a recent conflict I had, I know that if I were able to keep a cool head, I could have handled it better by taking a different approach to face the situation at hand.

Every single behaviour or word is driven by intention. When addressing a conflict, what we say and how we say it matters. Sometimes, regardless of how good our intentions are, not properly weighing the words that come pouring out may further upset the person we are in conflict with.

When we are emotionally triggered, we are prone to blurt out whatever comes into our mind. In order to better communicate our thoughts and feelings in the face of conflict, spare a moment and really think about what you are going to say next.