From Reaction to Response — 

An Essential Life Skill

Sometimes the first thing to pop into our heads isn’t always the wisest. Nor is it the healthiest.

High emotion agitates our bodies, our cells, and ultimately our DNA, creating unnecessary changes in our energetic makeup as a coping mechanism for the additional stress load.

As with any change, balance is essential. If we are too far one way, then swinging to the opposite extreme is still going to leave us unbalanced.

So why do we need to balance our reactions (emotional, speech, behaviour etc) and how do we go about it?

The more we react to situations, people or events the more ‘hardwired’ these reactions will become. Each physical reaction also activates a chemical reaction, flooding the body with substances designed to initiate a change = fight / flight / protect / defend — all good responses if we’re in real danger, or if our bodies are under attack internally, but not so good in day to day life.

As with any substance entering the body, prolonged exposure can have predictable consequences:

• Toxicity

• Addiction

• Immunity

• Hyper (over) supply

• Hypo (under) supply

Each of these consequences has a knock-on effect in our bodies, and has a direct influence on our health.

But aren’t these reactions ‘natural’, seeing as our bodies are designed to respond in this way?

Yes, but there is another part of our brain designed to inhibit these reactions.

Inhibition is a safety mechanism built-in to protect us from overextension, and is best observed in our muscles, where each major working muscle has its inhibiting counterpart. Without inhibition we would, quite literally, tear ourselves apart.

The easiest example of inhibition occurring is in the physical actions of refined motor activity, such as tasks performed at work.

If our energy is high or not properly contained, accidents occur. If we inhibit our energy, actions become fluid, precise and controlled.

So if we can control our actions, it stands to reason we can control other areas too — like emotions and communication.

(In fact there is a point to be made that controlling these two areas is more important than the physical.)

Uncontrolled emotional outbursts can create a domino effect by triggering a response / reaction in others. (I don’t think I need to provide an example here!).

So too uncontrolled speech, though often the response / reaction from others remains unverbalised. (This unverbalised response / reaction still has an effect, but is a whole topic in itself).

So how do we go about activating ‘healthy inhibition’?

We start by expanding time and space using the principles of Mind-Body Energetics and developing Dynamic Self Awareness.

Want to go deeper?

Check out the 'Soul Survival Guide'

“Small changes — gathered daily — produce immense riches."

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