Power of Suggestion

Have you ever noticed how susceptible we humans are to the power of suggestion? It gives new meaning to the word placebo.

With the coming of quite a bit of rain lately (a vast improvement from the white stuff, in my humble opinion) I’ve begun to notice the onset of some teeny, tiny ANTS in the house.

Ants on the counter
Ants on the floor
Ants aplenty….ants galore!

Yikes.

I’ve purchased the ant traps and spray and seem to be winning the battle against these pesky intruders.

However. I caught one of ‘em making its way up my arm the other day. I flicked it off into the sink and followed up with enough water from the tap to drown a small elephant. For the rest of the evening, I was convinced I felt something crawling on me. I found myself involuntarily swatting at imaginary ants for hours…even getting up several times and doing a seriously depraved version of the funky chicken.

You’re feeling very itchy…..

From here, it was a short mental leap to thinking about the power of suggestion. I think that people can be pretty easily persuaded to believe a lot of things. As an example, I offer you this: have you ever noticed that if you read the side effects on a medication that you’re much more likely to feel some of those symptoms? I’ll bet if you told someone they’d just been exposed to some nasty flu germs, they’d begin to not feel well. That would be a really nasty experiment to play on someone that you didn’t like. …wouldn’t it??

Huh.

I remember (oh so long ago) that the onset of morning sickness arrived within five minutes of my pregnancy test showing positive. I’d felt fine right up until that stick turned blue. I know that if I haven’t slept well the night before…and I continually remind myself of how tired I am, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, it would stand to reason that the opposite would also hold true…that if you’re unaware that you’re supposed to feel a certain way, or if you simply choose to deny its existence, then you could potentially sail right through an otherwise uncomfortable situation. Maybe we have more power over how we feel that we’d ever imagined...

I mean, if you’re convinced that something will or will not happen, can you ultimately control the outcome?? I say, “Let’s put this one to the test!!”

I say that over the next week, we each find one suggestive idea to pass on and see if it works. I suppose we should be positive about it, so be nice and don’t let anyone think they’ve been exposed to the plague. Unless they’ve really pissed you off…and then you’re on your own. Just don’t tell me about it, so I don’t feel compelled to report you to the suggestion authorities.

I’m thinking about telling da boys that I’ve started using a new fabric softener that’s supposed to give you more energy. I’ll make up some story about it releasing endorphins through the skin. Maybe it’ll get them to clean their rooms. I’ll tell ‘em I’ve already noticed some impressive results myself. I’ll exclaim that “I’m feeling GRRRRREAT!”

And honestly? If I could stop feeling itchy…it would definitely be true.