That's why they don't call them "first reactors"

I've been learning lately about the difference between reacting and responding. When you think of the two words, you implicitly understand that reacting has a strong element of emotional outburst, whereas you could imagine responding as a dispassionate office worker reply.

There are so many years behind me of reacting to situations arising around me. And now that I've looked at this simple concept in the face, I can see that reacting is not the greatest way to handle the vast majority of situations. And I'm not just talking about negative situations either! You could react positively if someone gives you good news, and in many cases you should. But have you ever been caught flat-footed by someone making an announcement, and then finding your reaction was off-base?

Consider this: announcements or situations which take you by surprise will almost always have facets, dimensions and context that you are not aware of. You will always react to the limited information you are first presented with. It's happened to me many times that I feel emotionally thrown by news that, upon further reflection and given more context, wasn't as dire as it first seemed.

Now think about what happens to you inwardly when you control your outward reply to any news. When you exhibit self-control and outwardly remain calm, this allows you to translate your outward calm inward and let your brain start to process this information and decide what to do with it. This is exactly what emergency first responders do! They enter an emergency situation and assess the information they have at hand, then make a decision as to how best to resolve the problem. They do not come in and start screaming in panic, run around like chickens, and then get down to work.

Yes, news can be stressful. If someone is coming to you with sad or concerning news that might affect you, you can imagine that they are likely feeling additional levels of stress just thinking about how you might react. If you instead begin to respond to situations, and let that become your habit, people will feel more comfortable coming to you when they are in trouble, as a solid rock of compassion and understanding they can rely on.

So, get a hold of yourself! Start to train yourself to respond to situations. You can reduce your stress, the stress of others, and you can make more rational decisions quicker.

Happy reading!

Rachel