Create that Space between a Trigger and your Response
You must have found yourself in situations where you lose control over your mind and simply act impulsively. Only to wish for a second chance so you could act differently or “maturely”
It often happens that, in times when we are triggered or some unpleasant situations come up, we lose our calm and act the way our minds have been conditioned for a long time. This not only causes a lot of distress and frustration, but it also strengthens this behavior of the mind. It is like watering the mind to keep reacting each time such triggers occur.
When you later think about it, you wish you had not said what you said, or done what you did.
Imagine, how nice it would be to have that impulse and urge to react under your control the next time you are triggered. Having a little bit of space between the stimuli and your reaction will allow you to respond more mindfully to the situation.
When something triggers you, be it anger, envy, frustration, just take a deep breath and pull back before reacting. To become better at this, practice meditation every day! This will prepare you to handle your emotions way better than you normally do.
Meditation helps you slow down and observe.
Learn to become an observer and not a puppet of any given situation. Watch yourself, don’t lose yourself to the flow of negative emotion. Take a deep breath and a step back and chose how you want to respond rather than simply giving in to it and reacting in a way that you might regret later on.
When Buddha was asked, “What have you gained from meditation?”
He replied, “Nothing! However. Buddha said, let me tell you what I lost: Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Insecurity, Fear of Old age, and Death.”