Five Mantras for Overwhelm
Do you RESPOND or REACT?
The ability to self-regulate emotions is definitely a learned skill. It’s not innate (enter: every toddler ever born who throws a fit when their socks don’t fit well or their pasta isn’t salty enough) but it is achievable.
A core skill of Mindfulness is the ability to feel an emotion without being overwhelmed by it.
When you are able to “observe” your emotional state and hit the pause button (even for just one inhale) you can then choose how you want to RESPOND instead of REACT.
Reacting looks like:
Lashing out in anger, immediately returning the email knowing that your words are spiteful, stonewalling, sarcasm, incessant rumination through negative self-talk, retreating to numbing activities that allow you to avoid emotions, allowing resentment to fester, etc.
Responding looks like:
➡️ Pausing.
➡️ Taking a Breath.
➡️ Noticing your Body.
➡️ Observing the words running through your Mind.
➡️ Acknowledging your Choice.
➡️ Choosing how you want to Respond.
(By the way, you might still feel angry. Or insulted. Or frustrated. Or whatever. But at least this tactic puts you in charge of yourself again. No one else should get that VIP job.)
Try these Mantras for Overwhelm and let me know how it goes.
“ Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.”
“I cannot control other people, I can only control my response to them.”
“ I choose compassion in this moment.”
“This is a normal human reaction. I’m choosing to respond with mindfulness.”
“My body is telling me that I need a moment to breathe before I respond.”
