Houston we have a problem!
What should we do! Quick do something, anything, just react!
That’s what it feels like when “it” hits the fan.
We react to the situation with emotion, with immediacy, and often (in hindsight) not the way we wish we did.
Instead of taking in all the relevant information, thinking through our options for how to respond, we just react.
But, what if we could respond when the tension gets high, in a way that helps us get what we really want?
Through mind training we can unlearn our typical ways of being, and train ourselves to respond in a new way.
Here are some of my observations about responding vs reacting…
- There is a threshold of perceived urgency that sends us into “react” mode.
- We can train our brains to slow down and not go into that “react” mode when it’s not useful. FocusCalm does this.
- There are certain situations that require faster responses than others, and it can be useful to respond quickly or even simply react.
- Responding vs reacting is a spectrum thing, not a “this” or “that” thing. Meaning there are degrees of both when taking action.
- The urgency (how quickly a decision needs to be made) and the importance of the decision (what is long term impact and how reversible is the decision?) should drive how much time we take before taking action.
- Almost all decisions are better served by responding rather than reacting.
But, if a car on the highway swerves into your lane then reacting can save your life. The urgency is so high that reacting is the right thing to do.
This tells us that reacting can be good.
But again, responding is better for most normal situations.
Both matter, both are good, both are useful for different situations, and the degree of both depends on the urgency and importance of a decision.
Lots of life is about finding the sweet spot on a spectrum based on your situation. This applies to responding vs. reacting.
Most of life is better spent on the responding side of things.
If you want to respond vs. reacting, you can. FocusCalm can train your brain to be calmer and more focused, teaching you the skills you need to respond rather than reacting.
