Day 19

30-day Online Course

Reacting to Reacting

Many of the emotional reactions we experience on the surface are actually reactions to deeper reactions - "I hate feeling anxious!", "I'm sick and tired of feeling depressed.", or maybe you're feeling hurt by someone, but it presents as anger (which feels stronger and less vulnerable).

This outermost level of reactivity is your first and most accessible (although not easy!) target. These secondary reactions are responsible for locking-in the deeper reactions, and are preventing you from processing them. It's understandable that you don't like feeling bad, but if you don't deal with it skillfully, it ain't going nowhere! Deep reactions can last for an entire lifetime.

Your task initially is to accept the deeper reactions - accept that anxiety is present, for example, and then sit with it, calmly and with increasing awareness and acceptance. Eventually, you will feel it change. You are going to get really good at sitting (and smiling 😊) with discomfort!

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