One thing I have found myself doing more and more often, without even knowing why and where it comes from, is slowing down the moment of my reactions.
I have an Italian temper, jumping up when something is not done the proper way and instantly saying my opinion out loud. So it’s really not easy to think and reflect before reacting for me. But it starts working.
Yet, I can still observe how I overreact sometimes, still quite often and more than what I would like to. This happens especially when I am not centred or when for some reason I lose contact with the simplicity of reality. Quick reaction happens when I am doing things without really being present and without doing them for the sake of doing them. When my mind is wandering. In this situations, being more mindful and reacting more slowly does not really work as I wish.
It’s a hard work to keep on trying, but it’s worth to do it.
From an interesting article in the Elephant Journal.
“Discipline has to do with bringing mindfulness and awareness to all of your actions of body, speech, and mind. This means slowing down the momentum of our reactivity. We may already be skilled at mindfulness of body (we don’t sock our partners when they irritate us), but we can now begin to work with slowing down the momentum of our speech (holding back our judgements, criticisms, nagging, and venting). The more we practice mindfulness and awareness in every day life, the more we can trust ourselves without second guessing what we say and do. We don’t need to call up our friends to have them validate us. We simply trust ourselves and become curious when what we say and do causes conflict. We don’t have an ego to defend so we don’t need everyone on our side.”[:]
