Growth 7 min read You Can't Unring a Bell Practicing mindful speech will save you from saying something you can't take back. Thinkâ âbackâ âtoâ âaâ âtimeâ âwhenâ âyouâ âwereâ âhurt. Didâ âyouâ âgetâ âanâ âapologyâ âfromâ âtheâ âpersonâ âwhoâ âwrongedâ âyouâ âwithâ âtheirâ âwords? Ifâ âyouâ âdid,â âyouâ âlikelyâ âstillâ âcarryâ âtheâ âscarsâ âofâ âthatâ âwound.â ââApologizingâ âisâ âimportantâ âforâ ârepairingâ âan injuredâ ârelationshipââ âbutâ âtheâ âtruthâ âisâ âthatâ âaâ âsorryâ âdoesâ ânotâ âalwaysâ âtakeâ âawayâ âtheâ âpain. Asâ âtheâ âsayingâ âgoes,â âyouâ âcan’tâ âunringâ âaâ âbell. Howâ âcanâ âweâ âavoidâ âringingâ âtheâ âbell?â âTheâ âbestâ âwayâ âtoâ âdoâ âsoâ âisâ âtoâ âwatchâ âwhatâ âyouâ âsay,â âespeciallyâ âin timesâ âofâ âdistress,â âtoâ âavoidâ âharmingâ âothers.â âToâ âdoâ âthis,â âyouâ âmustâ âpracticeâ âmindfulâ âcommunication. Mindfulâ âcommunicationâ âisâ âtheâ âpracticeâ âofâ âbeingâ âfullyâ âawareâ âofâ âyourâ âspeech,â âthoughts,â âandâ âeven bodyâ âbefore,â âduring,â âandâ âafterâ âengagingâ âinâ âaâ âconversation,â âespeciallyâ âoneâ âthatâ âisâ âhadâ âduring timesâ âofâ âconflict. Inâ âherâ âbook,â ââFullyâ âPresent:â âTheâ âScience,â âArt,â âandâ âPracticeâ âofâ âMindfulnessâ,â âSusanâ âL.â âSmalley notedâ âthatâ âwithâ âtheâ âuseâ âofâ âmindfulâ âspeechâ âandâ âexercisesâ âinâ âcompassion,â ââ"weâ âareâ âableâ âtoâ âbring aboutâ âmoreâ âpeacefulâ âandâ âharmoniousâ âcommunities." Ifâ âyouâ âmakeâ âtheâ âcommitmentâ âtoâ âpracticeâ âmindfulness,â âthereâ âareâ âcertainâ âbehaviorsâ âyouâ âcanâ âadapt toâ âhelpâ âinâ âyourâ âattemptâ âtoâ âavoidâ â“ringingâ âtheâ âbell.” Theâ ânextâ âtimeâ âyouâ âareâ âinâ âtheâ âheatâ âofâ âaâ âdifficultâ âconversation,â âtakeâ âaâ âsmallâ âmomentâ âtoâ âbreath. Noticeâ âyourâ âbreathsâ âasâ âyouâ âtakeâ âairâ âinâ âandâ âout.â âJustâ âthatâ âsmallâ âactâ âofâ âintrospectionâ âwillâ âhelpâ âto centerâ âyourselfâ âonâ âwhatâ âisâ âhappeningâ âbeforeâ âitâ âescalates. . via GIPHY Focusingâ âonâ âwhatâ âtheâ âmainâ âproblemâ âisâ âwillâ âalsoâ âhelpâ âwithâ âmindfulâ âcommunication.â âIfâ âyouâ âkeepâ âthe issueâ âonâ âtopic,â âyouâ âcanâ âavoidâ âtangentsâ âfromâ âpoppingâ âupâ âandâ âpersonalâ âmattersâ âfromâ âbeing broughtâ âintoâ âtheâ âdiscussionâ âwhereâ âtheyâ âcanâ âcauseâ âhurtâ âfeelings. Namingâ âtheâ âemotionâ âyouâ âareâ âexperiencingâ âduringâ âaâ âconflictâ âpresentsâ âyourâ âfrustrationsâ âtoâ âthe otherâ âperson.â âExpressingâ âtheâ âfear,â âdisgust,â âorâ âirritationâ âyouâ âfeelâ âinâ âtheâ âmomentâ âallowsâ âthemâ âand yourselfâ âtoâ âknowâ âwhereâ âyourâ âwordsâ âareâ âcomingâ âfrom.â âUseâ âphrasesâ âlikeâ â“Iâ âfeelâ âirritatedâ âbecause thisâ âhappened”â âorâ â“I’mâ âworriedâ âbecauseâ âthisâ âmightâ ânotâ âhappen.”â âThisâ âwillâ âremindâ âyouâ âthatâ âthe otherâ âpersonâ âisâ ânotâ âtheâ ârootâ âofâ âtheâ âproblemâ âandâ âwillâ âkeepâ âyouâ âfromâ â“ringingâ âtheâ âbell,”â âpurposelyâ âor accidently. Justâ âlikeâ âtheâ âringingâ âofâ âaâ âbell,â âangryâ âwordsâ âcan’tâ âbeâ âquietedâ âonceâ âthey’veâ âbeenâ âheard.â âWithâ âthe practiceâ âofâ âmindfulâ âcommunication,â âyouâ âcanâ âkeepâ âthatâ âbellâ âsilent Most Popular Share your voice Related Here Are 5 HBCU Honor Programs For You Overachievers Out There These historically black colleges and universities excel through their honors programs. Growth 3 min read Stop Your Negativity Today You're hurting yourself. Growth 4 min read Are You Focused On Your Destiny? Pt. 7 of an in-depth series on Destiny guided by T.D. Jakes' most popular lessons. Growth 3 min read