Thoughtful More Than Reactive

Pausing and taking time to consider things, shifts us from being puppets of our emotions to being people who can thoughtfully and constructively respond to those emotions and the varying situations we encounter. We can pause and put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and consider their perspective. Identifying the values that are important to the other person is a key to understanding their perspective. Sometimes though, our emotions are in control and anxiety can bubble to the surface. Learning to recognise when our emotions are beginning to get the better of us and developing the habit of pausing and reflecting on one next step we can take, shifts our mindset into a more proactive mode. It helps us to learn to identify those things we can change and shift our energy into positive purposeful action.

Slowing down our thinking is often a key to opening up this personal power to be in control of our emotions. Pausing and taking some deep breaths, helps to slow the mind and open the door to better thinking. In this time of pausing we can pray for God’s guidance. Prayer reminds us of God’s constant loving presence and opens our hearts and minds to hearing His calming voice.