How you react to an emotionally charged situation can set off a chain reaction of reactions. I can’t help but wonder when the world feels like it is in a chaotic state, could it have started with me? Could my poor reaction to someone else’s poor reaction caused another person to have a poor reaction and then on it goes? Had I reacted positively, would it have stopped the chain reaction? Or could I possibly start a chain reaction of positive reactions?
A bad day starts and ends with you.
Every day we are bombarded with pokes to our emotional state. Each jab tests us and depending on our practiced tolerance or just how we are feeling physically and mentally that day will determine if you explode or not. It is inevitable that you will get tested today, how are you going to react? If you are tested over and over, can you hold up? When you are at your wit’s end will you choose to react positively or negatively? Can you end a bad day right now?
It is easy to react poorly if you practice reacting poorly.
Many of us have gotten ourselves in the habit of reacting poorly to just about every uncomfortable situation, it is almost animalistic as to why. Anger is often the “catch-all” emotion for every perceived negative situation. When we cannot process what we are feeling, we often resort to anger as it releases stress hormones that keep us on our toes and protected.
It is our primal need for survival
We aren’t primates and because we are evolved, we have control over our emotional well-being. We know how we are feeling. Practiced anger in negative situations only throws fuel on the fire. Anger almost always breeds more anger, unless you douse it with kindness and understanding. Like all learned behaviour, practiced kindness is not easy at first, but it can be learned. It is what separates us from the animals.
When you are faced with a negative situation, be mindful and take a second, assess it, and react with poise and refrain from anger. While you may not always be in control of the situation, you are always in control of your reaction. How you react right now could start a chain reaction of reactions.
How will you contribute to the chain reaction of reactions?