Do You React or Respond?

You know these are times when our emotions and feelings can take the better of us if not managed. Controlling our emotions or our feelings is a deliberate and intentional act. The mind has to be constantly and consistently renewed for us to be able to manage our emotions.

Have you heard that “Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel”?

Feelings are fleeting, unreliable as they respond to every external stimuli and unpredictable. They manipulate your emotions as they are connected to our senses. When you are controlled by your feelings rather than you controlling your feelings, you slowly build up a subconscious bank for your emotions to feed from.

Whether led by your feelings or your emotions, you are bound to live your life on a very unstable and unhealthy platform as you are driven to react to situations rather than respond.

Reactions tend to be impulsive and sometimes even aggressive and forceful. They are more negative than positive and because reacting does not give much space for thinking you tend to act without thinking and so do not take control over your thoughts, your actions and your behaviour.

We do know that our thoughts control our actions and ultimately defines our character and behaviour. Being in control of your thought is therefore the skill to be learnt.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Call it emotional intelligence, call it the art of responding, this ‘place’ gives you authority and control over your thought and thought patterns and so rather than you being controlled by every external force, you control HOW you react to every external force.

Reactions or reacting keeps people living their lives on an emotional roller coaster. They are easily swayed by comments, feedback, situations,challenges…. The place of power is in the mind and once your mind is being controlled by how you feel then you have released your power to your emotions. Emotions such as;

1. Fear – cripples us and creates paranoia. It erodes self confidence and self esteem and keeps us in our comfort zone for fear of the unknown

2. Anger –  we act without thinking ,we are very aggressive, cynical and sarcastic, whenever we are angry, our battle is not with people it is within. Hurting people hurt others

3. Anxiety –  our minds dwell on the world’s systems and news rather than on Kingdom truths 

4. Doubt – we are very opinionated, negative, pessimistic

5. Discontent – we are covetous and are not able to celebrate other people and their victories

6. Jealousy

7. Envy…..  The list is unending….

Emotions rub us off our Dignity, Self Confidence, Self Esteem, Self Regard, Respect, Self Actualisation. So the question today is “Are you able to manage your emotions? 

“We are dangerous when we are not conscious of our responsibility for how we behave, think and feel” Marshall Rosenberg

Look out for our article on the Power of Responding or sign up for our training on Becoming Emotionally Intelligent.