How to Be Less Triggered and More Grounded
Aug 03, 2022
Do you find yourself triggered and out of sorts by the same repeating behaviors of others at home or work? I’m not talking about the big stuff that has to be addressed and corrected immediately. I’m talking about the little stuff that seems to steal our happiness and peace. This could be a spouse who has to be reminded about emptying the dishwasher, a teenager who can’t turn off the videos when it’s time to go to bed, or a colleague who always asks you to do something that is their job to do.
There is a beautiful quote I love to teach:
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
I first heard this quote from an excellent therapist at Canyon Ranch Tucson. The quote is often attributed to Victor Frankl, but Steven Covey wrote it.
The way I like to say this is here:
Between the stimulus and the response, there is a gap, and in that gap lies our power and our freedom.
The question is, how do you claim the gap? How do you expand the gap? This takes practice. For most of us, there is no gap. It’s trigger, reaction, and repeat. The benefit, if you can claim the gap, is that you get to remain in your body and breathe when a behavior that is unacceptable or annoying arises. When you are in your body and breathing, you think better, feel better, and make better decisions about whether or how to address the situation. Or you move on with your day at peace.
Click here to download my free workbook for more information.
Click here to watch a video Canyon Ranch had me create on this topic.
