The society we live in is an emotional war zone. So many people wound up too tight. The stressors: many! For the most part the outlets are unhealthy and regressive. Think about the cashier’s rude outburst – the volume of the response did not match the input. You were the unwitting straw that broke the camel's back.

The lack of emotional literacy is staggering in this country. Emotional intelligence then cannot follow – cos how sway?

The ability to change the course of any murky emotional ride you may be dragged into – is availed to us by a resource each and every person alive has access to. This resource doesn’t care if you are employed or not, whether you finished school or not, whether you have money or not, whether you live ekasi or emakhaya – it does not care. It’s called breath. Yep! O2 in, CO2 out through the nose.

Breath is so important, you literally can’t not do it. It is essential for life. By practicing to pause, breathe, reflect and then respond instead of just reacting you can make massive changes in your life.

Yeah that may need you to be the bigger person. Maybe you walk away from the fight. Maybe you choose to be quiet instead of lashing out. No, it does not make you weaker or stupid. It means you take a moment to calm your nervous system and not only reflect on what triggered you but, on what the consequences of you reacting are. Will the consequences last longer than whatever feeling is surging through your entire body in that moment? Pausing and reflecting gives you the opportunity to make a choice in line with your highest good.

What do people even call that restraint? That breathe, pause, reflect and then respond?

Do people even have this conversation? What do you call it?

#NameItToTameIt, #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, #MentalWellBeing, #IronSharpensIron, #JiKi'Zinto, #BigSis

Mntase kuningi! Kodwa Big Sis gotchu. When it all feels heavy, you don’t have to go through it alone 💛

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