Reactions to Life Events | by Madisyn Taylor Our experiences color everything. The events of the past can have a profound effect on how we see our lives now and what we choose to believe about our world. Our past experiences can also influence our emotional reactions and responses to present events. Each of us reacts to stimulus based on what we have learned in life. There is no right or wrong to it; it is simply the result of past experience. Later, when our strong feelings have passed, we may be surprised at our reactions. Yet when we face a similar situation, again our reactions may be the same. When we understand those experiences, we can come that much closer to understanding our reactions and consciously change them. Between stimulus and reaction exists a fleeting moment of thought. Often, that thought is based on something that has happened to you in the past. When presented with a similar situation later on, your natural impulse is to unconsciously regard it in a similar light. For example, if you survived a traumatic automobile accident as a youngster, the first thing you might feel upon witnessing even a minor collision between vehicles may be intense panic. If you harbor unpleasant associations with death from a past experience, you may find yourself unable to think about death as a gentle release or the next step toward a new kind of existence. You can, however, minimize the intensity of your reactions by identifying the momentary thought that inspires your reaction. Then, next time, replace that thought with a more positive one. Modifying your reaction by modifying your thoughts is difficult, but it can help you to see and experience formerly unpleasant situations in a whole new light. It allows you to stop reacting unconsciously. Learning the reason of your reactions may also help you put aside a negative reaction long enough to respond in more positive and empowered ways. Your reactions and responses then become about what's happening in the present moment rather than about the past. As time passes, your negative thoughts may lose strength, leaving only your positive thoughts to inform your healthy reactions. | DailyOM Course Spotlight by Cynthia Kane I used to lie awake at night and worry about work, family, friends, boyfriends. Honestly, I would obsess about all of it. And while all these thoughts and emotions were going on inside I rarely expressed any of them. Instead, a colleague would knock on my cubicle while I was in the middle of something and I'd roll my eyes and say in a passive aggressive tone, "what can I do for you now." Or my boyfriend would ask me to empty the water out of the tea kettle and I'd argue about why leaving it there made sense. Sometimes someone even asking me a simple question like what do you want for lunch would be difficult to answer. There was so much clutter in my head that I couldn't focus or slow down to express myself accurately. Everything irked me and had me reacting impulsively damaging my relationships. Of course I wanted to interact differently I just didn't know how. So I went out and learned everything I could about how to communicate to express myself in a clear, direct, and accurate way. Top 10 DailyOM Courses 1. A Year to Clear What is Holding You Back! 2. Break the Grip of Past Lovers 3. 21 Day Yoga Body! 4. The Ultimate 7 Day Cleanse 5. 21 Day Total Goddess Workout 6. Overcoming Self-Sabotage 7. 8 Week Whole Body Makeover! 8. Manifest Your Soulmate 9. Reinventing The Body, Resurrecting the Soul 10. The 4-Minute Peaceful Warrior Workout
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