GOSSIP AND KEEP IT SHUT HOW TO

When you walk into that gossip situation keep telling yourself, “Shut my mouth!” When a police officer breaks down the door of a drug dealers house he knows danger is present and he takes precautions. It’s not necessary to eliminate them but just be aware of the danger. When do you gossip? At the gym? In the break room? At lunch with friends or co-workers? In the aisle at Walmart? On the cellphone while driving? Identify the times, places and people that trigger your gossip habit. Give your improving mind time to shut your mouth. Slowing down will help prevent careless talk. It’s the kind of comment that just seems to pop out. I am convinced that most gossip is really just careless talk. You can quickly ask yourself if you really want to say what you’re thinking. By deliberately slowing the pace of your response you give yourself time to think about what you are going to say. The old folks used to say “ count to 10 before you say anything.” That’s a cute old saying but it really does work. If you allow a constant stream of gossip to enter your mind it will find a way to your mouth. Now you must be careful what you listen to. Sometimes a gossiper believes that he has the “best news” and cannot wait to share it. When your mouth is closed and you are listening you cannot gossip. By reliving and feeling again the pain of gossip, you will teach yourself not to talk poorly of others. Can you remember the look on someone’s face when they discovered what people were saying behind their back? It wasn’t pleasant. Stop and think of times when you were the victim of wagging tongues.

Educate Yourself to the Harm of Gossip.If you have some thoughts please share them in the comments. So how do you stop? Help me shut my mouth! When caught gossiping they are embarrassed. No one wants to be the victim of gossip and they don’t want to be a gossiper themselves. But I suspect most gossip is never intended. There are some who gossip out of meanness or hatred.

GOSSIP AND KEEP IT SHUT HOW TO

We have talked about how you can stop gossip at work and how to stop gossip in the church, but never about how to stop yourself from gossiping. After reading 5 Ways to Stop Gossip, one of our readers asked “How should the gossiper stop gossiping if it is a struggle in his or her life?” That’s a great question.

Gossip and keep it shut