Zip It: The Keep It Shut 40-Day Challenge
As a member of Compel Training, I’ve come to know Karen Ehman through video teachings. She has a warm, inviting writing and speaking style I find appealing. She wrote Zip It as a companion to Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All
Are you fasting for spiritual wellness during Lent this year? This year I’m giving up sugar, which is one of my favorite go-to items for comfort and pleasure. It sometimes gets in the way of my relationship with God, and I want to give it up this Lent to get closer to him.
Writing for five unedited minutes on the prompt “Friend” for Five Minute Friday.
Oh, my sweet daughter,
I hate to see your heart break.
Your friend, the one who writes you sparkly notes
the one who gives you hugs whenever you meet
Patience, you slay me
with your silence.
No answers, no exit, no relief
for months.
Yet every day you sit beside me
as we watch the sun rise again.
When was the last time a real threat triggered your anxiety?
Yesterday I faced a tense situation at work. I had to keep my emotions in check to remain professional. Yet my anxiety churned inside and I had a hard time keeping myself under control. I was edgy, quiet, and humorless. I’m sure my smiles looked forced.
After the situation was resolved, my pent-up anxiety leaked out in weird ways. I felt inexplicably grouchy for almost an hour. I got a little snappy, and I withdrew into a small project where I could block everything out. During this hour of leaky anxiety, I didn’t really feel in control of myself. My emotions were overriding my normal calm, composed demeanor in ways I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t stop.
