A Mindful Response

Imagine if instead of First Responders, all that arrived in an emergency were “First Reactors.” Instead of a calm and calculated approach to the situation at hand, there would be more recording, screaming, panicking, running away, freezing in shock, …

A mindful response is going to be better than a knee jerk reaction most of the time. This is true in parenting, in relationships, in business, in online exchanges, in an emergency, and also in caring for our bodies.

That persistent symptom is your body responding to something(s) and sending you signals. When it’s met with a quick reaction to shush the symptom, the underlying trigger(s) remain. Most of the time a reaction is a bandaid and does little to nothing to address the root of the issue.

Some examples of potential health bandaids that may be hasty reactions:
A juice cleanse
Most detox fads
Antacids
NSAIDS
Ignoring symptoms
A million supplements
Exercise alone
Coffee
Fad diets
Alcohol
Drugs
Busyness
Distractions

Add whatever you want to this list. The thing or group of things may not even be problematic. Many of these can even be an important part of a balanced approach to addressing root cause. The issue is when they’re used to attempt to silence the alarm and not address what caused it to begin with.

How do we become better at responding instead of reacting? These three P’s help me as this is an area where I personally need to be continually intentional.

✨ Ponder/Pray. Prepare. Pause. ✨

Seek first to understand and for me this can include praying and pondering about the information, whatever it may be; symptoms, someone’s feelings, my kids behavior, etc.

While I can’t possibly prepare for every single situation in life, I can keep continue to educate myself and keep useful tools on hand to help me navigate and address issues as they arise. Again, this applies to all the things. Emergency kits for physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

I can also take a breath and pause before jumping in when possible and make more mindful responses.

I mess up at this daily. I’m posting this here for myself as much as for anyone else who might find it helpful.