Creative Guidance – Wait before you react – Inspirational Educative Articles

Wait before you react:

There are always exceptions to any rule, but generally speaking it is always better to wait before we react. There is a natural inbuilt instinctive mechanism in us that urges us to quickly respond to things happening around us.

Although this mechanism to quickly react and respond is extremely useful in protecting ourselves in a natural set up, such as living in a wilderness, it is totally useless and detrimental in a modern civilized set up.

It is important to realize that we are not living in a jungle anymore but almost 90% of our biological survival mechanism is designed for living in the wilderness. If we fail to recognize this, we will very easily fall prey to our own inbuilt survival habits.

Education and learning play a big role in channeling our instinctual and biological responses. They help us slow down, rationalize, evaluate, analyze and think before reacting, but more often than not we readily give in to our impulsive habits.

The ability to wait before reacting is one of the most important qualities one can develop to better navigate the modern landscape of life. Instead of reacting immediately to anything and everything, be it what’ shown in the media, what someone tells you, what you read somewhere, it is better to first wait and take time to process the information.

The easiest way to develop this habit is by practice. By consciously pausing for even just a few minutes before responding to things helps in developing this habit. It is amazing how much of a difference this small quality can make to your life. Try it, and see its magic for yourself.

“This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”