Use Your Words, Just Not These Words

I was never an English major and I don't pretend to be an expert in my native language, which is English. Although I probably should be an expert because it's the one language I've been speaking and writing all my life! I've always been somewhat embarrassed by the fact that so many people from other countries can speak fluent English, but most Americans barely have a grasp on their own language, let another a foreign language. It's disgraceful and perhaps even a bit ignorant. I'm not bilingual, but I do speak a little Italian and French (emphasis on "a little"). However, if I'm not going to learn more of foreign language, it seems only right that I should be making a greater effort to hone my English...especially my writing skills.

Use your words. It's a phrase people say in an effort to get you to express yourself more clearly, to open up the lines of communication. While sharing your feelings can be hard, finding just the right words can sometimes be even more difficult. But the biggest challenge I find is trying to resist using words that serve little to no purpose in getting my message across. They only add confusion or unnecessary fluff. But just like a bad habit, I can't seem to drop certain words from my vocabulary.

When I write, I have a bad habit of overusing these words - literally, actually, honestly, truthfully, seriously, really and just.

For the most part, these words don't add any really value to what I write, or at least in the manner in which I write them. They're like filler material. I either squeeze them somewhere inside a sentence for reasons unknown even to me. Or I'll tack them on to the beginning or end of a sentence like I'm creating some type of ambiance - making the sentence bolder, more dramatic. Oooh, ahhh. In fact today I said to someone "actually I have family that lives there." Now why did I need to say "actually?" Like I would be lying about where my family lives? Using words like actually, honestly and truthfully in any statement just makes you look like a well versed liar. When in reality I'm just a bad writer with bad habits that he needs to break.

Truthfully, I do this all the time. I actually have a really hard time not literally writing the word honestly just before I'm about to give my opinion on something. Seriously, it's just weird.

What is your vocab crack? Any word/s you can't shake your addiction from?