React vs Respond

On the latest episode (HERE) of Dharma Time, The Dharma Guy & The Dope Doctor talk about our reactions versus our responses.

Often times someone says or does something and we react without really thinking and the situation turns into something we wish it hadn’t. Reacting from instinct is great for survival, but not so great for happiness and inner peace. Responding to something with thought and care typically ends much better and contributes to that inner peace. 

Whenever a difficult situation is presented to us its important that we don’t react immediately. Rather, we pause for a moment and really try to comprehend what just happened before we open our mouths. This momentary pause will help save a lot of heartache and hurt feelings in life. 

Once we’ve paused for a moment, we need to reflect on what exactly just happened in reference to our inner selves. Often times we feel anger, but we're unaware that our anger is really coming from a sense of fear or an insecurity. Look inward and figure out why you’re so upset. What expectation was in place that wasn’t met? 

Now that you’ve paused to figure out what you’re feeling and why, you now need to formulate a thought out response. This response should come from a place of love for both yourself and whomever you’re responding to. It should also keep the ultimate goal in mind. The goal here is almost always a need for the person to understand your hurt and for it to not happen again. However, our reaction usually comes from a place of “you hurt me, now I’m going to hurt you”.

This all isn’t easy, but it is possible and its necessary to find inner peace and maintain healthy relationships to those around you. You mustn’t look at it as something to perfect tomorrow, but something that you aim for and progress daily with each interaction.

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Trinity

aka The Dharma Guy on Dharma Time

DharmaTimeShow@gmail.com