Developing skills at responding vs reacting helps you to maintain your power. Refuse to be baited into lowering high standards and treat ALL people as you wish to be treated. This will always energetically bring you the best and highest outcome. ASK YOURSELF, “WHAT AM I LEARNING.” What are all your senses telling you? How are you feeling in response to someone’s words or actions? Breathe in and ask inwardly, why?
Emotional Triggering and Feelings of Powerlessness
This will often occur in situations where there is a general lack of recognition of something that matters to you. You may feel dismissed, not seen for who you are, not heard, or your opinions or beliefs invalidated. Subsequent feelings of separateness, aloneness, anger, and despondence may result from having no outlet for addressing these feelings. (For information on how movement helps read more: Release Suppressed Emotion Thru Movement.)
Ultimately, disagreement is an opportunity to learn more about YOUR inner truth. The more you use each interaction, situation, or relationship for learning, the better you will be at honoring your inner knowing. Responding Vs Reacting will require you to slow down and increase your skills at staying present while your body is reacting.
If it provokes you, it is meant for you. May it create more awareness than distress.
I don’t take this lightly. Feeling inner distress in response to a person or situation can be overwhelming and lead to “recoil” or a desire to shut out or shut down. While we would all like to avoid such discomfort, these situations are meant for us to reflect, learn, and grow. What I’m suggesting here is not that everything that provokes you is all about you, rather than your emotional reaction is providing you valuable information about what may be right for you.
Sometimes, we respond strongly because something feels threatening based on earlier experiences. It may be that a person exemplifies certain qualities that we either don’t like or can’t accept about ourselves. Lots of times, those reactions, when reflected on, help us to gain a better understanding of ourselves, what we value, who we are as individuals, and why.
Tips to Develop Skills of Responding Vs Reacting
Know your story. Breathe and with a loving-kindness drop into self-reflection and discovery. Inquire within yourself to know why feelings of inner distress are prompting strong reactions. Be honest and communicate your feelings, write them down, or set boundaries to give yourself extra time for reflection. When thinking about moving forward in these situations:
- Do what you can where you are, even if it feels insignificant compared to issues and events.
- Care for yourself and those around you while maintaining firm boundaries.
- No matter what is going on outside or within you, seek MOMENTS of joy and peace. Savor them and visit them in thought when you’re feeling particularly in need.
- Essentially, choose your battles wisely, stand undeterred while being open to others’ viewpoints and perspectives.
Lastly, think about the larger picture and surrender to a certain amount of TRUST that there are unseen reasons for events. What purpose does this situation or conflict potentially serve in the larger scheme of things? If we trust in a higher power, a divine force…, in the laws of karma, then we should know that ALL is part of an evolutionary process that ultimately, eventually brings us to balance.
So come back to your breath as often as you must, trusting that the universe is on your side… guiding and helping you to better self-knowledge, growth, and fulfillment.
For more information and supportive services to help achieve greater self-mastery with responding vs reacting, please visit my Coaching Services, Transform Energy With Movement or Metaphysical Services (Spiritual Tools 101) pages. Wishing you much growth, healing, empowerment, and peace as you work toward more intentional living.
