Conditioned Response Reactions To Life Events
Our experiences color
everything. The events of the past can have a profound effect on how we
see our lives now and what we choose to believe about our world. Our past
experiences can also influence our emotional reactions and responses to
present events. Each of us reacts to stimulus based on what we have
learned in life. There is no right or wrong to it; it is simply the result
of past experience. Later, when our strong feelings have passed, we may be
surprised at our reactions. Yet when we face a similar situation, again
our reactions may be the same. When we understand those experiences, we
can come that much closer to understanding our reactions and consciously
change them.
Between stimulus and reaction exists a fleeting
moment of thought. Often, that thought is based on something that has
happened to you in the past. When presented with a similar situation later
on, your natural impulse is to unconsciously regard it in a similar light.
For example, if you survived a traumatic automobile accident as a
youngster, the first thing you might feel upon witnessing even a minor
collision between vehicles may be intense panic. If you harbor unpleasant
associations with death from a past experience, you may find yourself
unable to think about death as a gentle release or the next step toward a
new kind of existence. You can, however, minimize the intensity of your
reactions by identifying the momentary thought that inspires your
reaction. Then, next time, replace that thought with a more positive one.
Modifying your reaction by modifying your thoughts is difficult,
but it can help you to see and experience formerly unpleasant situations
in a whole new light. It allows you to stop reacting unconsciously.
Learning the reason of your reactions may also help you put aside a
negative reaction long enough to respond in more positive and empowered
ways. Your reactions and responses then become about what's happening in
the present moment rather than about the past. As time passes, your
negative thoughts may lose strength, leaving only your positive thoughts
to inform your healthy reactions.
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