Unglued!

I recently read a thread on the SCM forum started by a mom who was struggling to de-stress and be more relaxed in her relationships with her family. Another mom responded and in the midst of her experienced wisdom, she recommended a book called “Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions” by Lysa TerKeurst. Having struggled with my own raw emotions (see here), I was intrigued and bought the book.

 

(Photo from Amazon)

I tried to read this one a bit slower than normal so that I could have time to process what the author talks about it. (I like to gulp my books too quickly and then it is hard to remember what I am supposed to be learning.)  😉 Like Charlotte Mason said, though, we need time to reflect and think upon books to really learn from them and I felt that this topic is one that needs reflection and considered thought.

Lysa (the author) starts by inviting us onto a path of imperfect progress. She reminds us that we can’t become perfect overnight and that it is okay. She then goes on to explain that there are several ways we become unglued – not all of us are screamers! Most of us have ways we cope with our raw emotions that make it hard for us to deal with certain aspects of our lives that end up affecting our relationships with ourselves and others. She outlines several questions to answer to help us understand the kind of Unglued that we are, then proceeds to give ideas on learning how to understand them and change our reactions. Lysa also teaches how to plan our reactions ahead of time so that we can be more prepared for those moments that cause us to become Unglued.

I think that one of my favorite things about this book is that she reminds us that the Atonement of Christ was for these kinds of moments, not just the “bigger” things – that the Atonement is at work in our daily lives as we strive to become better cultivators of our relationships. That really resonates with me as I have been reading other books about the Atonement and accessing the forgiveness and love that is there every day – not just as a one-time only service. This allows me to give myself some grace in my daily life and gives me hope of better  relationships – not just with my family and friends, but also with my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa TerKeurst is available for purchase here. I am not getting anything out of this – I just really appreciated her book. 🙂