The Art of the Response

                                          

Responsibility broken down is your ability to respond. Life puts us in many different situations. It is our ability to respond to what is happening that is the challenge. When someone “does” something to you or you take something personally do you have the ability to take a few deep breaths and see things through a different lens? Our response creates the quality of our own experience.

We have to ask ourselves what is my intention with this response? What will the effects of my response cause if I say or do this? As well as when you are trying not to react to someone else’s actions. If you can see things through a different lens you may be able to see where they are coming from, are they hurt, scared? How can your response change a situation?  

The answer may sound simple because it is. We can change the quality of our experience with our breath. We can’t always control our minds. Things pop up and we say, ‘where did that come from?’ and we can push it away or blurt it out but we can always control our breath. You know from someone’s breath if they are angry, scared, at rest or in motion. If you learn to take a few minutes and breath deeply and get your heart rate down, you will be able to keep blood flowing to your appendages (including your head), and you will be able to make clear, authentic decisions and the quality of your responses will be more authentic and not fear based.

I feel like this is especially important to teach to our children. We look around us and this world is becoming a scarier place to live by the day. We have to teach them to be empowered enough to stand up for themselves in any situation. Being confident and assertive in a healthy and respectful way, to themselves and to others.  If we teach them the art of the response at a young age then we can avoid difficult and even tragic situations in the future.