Motivational Monday - The Key is DON'T REACT

Don't React 

Charles R. Swindoll said, "life is 10% of what happens to you, and 90% of how you react to it." Well...I say the key to this message is to not react at all....initially. Give your problem, concern, situation time to sink in before you make a reaction. They often say that if you get an email, text, voice message, etc. that upsets you....SIT ON IT. You can type a response, but don't send it until you have slept on it. I have learned this lesson the hard way, but that is how we learn...by making mistakes. When planning this blog, I figured I could go a couple of different routes with this quote, but the best thing I could think of is to give you some tips to do BEFORE you respond:

1. Calm down. We all know there are cases when our temper gets the best of us! Make sure before you respond, you have rid yourself of any anxious or angered emotions. There is nothing worse than spouting off when you are angry and have to apologize later for it. You can do this by deep breathing, closing your eyes, meditation, or whatever you do to calm yourself.

2. Walk away. Literally....go for a walk to cool your head and your nerves. Exercise has been know to increase your "happy" thoughts naturally. Plus, it will give you a chance to think of an appropriate response to the situation. I also mean walk away from the situation that is causing the issue. Be polite about it, but get out of there fast....just make sure you address the situation after you have had time to think!

3. Sleep on it. That's right...GO TO SLEEP. It's amazing how much our thoughts change after being well-rested. I know it's not always feasible to nap it out, especially if it happens at work, but perhaps consider taking a break or lunch hour and sit in your car with your eyes closed for a while. 

So, let's use these steps above to make that 10% stay 10% and make the reaction part of our life at 90%! How do you like to calm down after a stressful situation? We want to know! Comment below or on social media.

Cindy Knight