Event + Perception + Response = Outcome

Let’s unpack this !

So above is an equation:

Event : what is happening in the outer world, what our senses are taking in at the moment.   So what is the event in your life right now that has you emotionally in a state that is draining your inner battery? This could be family, politics, health care, finances, etc. Or out of a state of coherence?  (coherence is a state of flow, inner balance, head/heart/emotions/spirit all going the same way)Perception:  this is our own version of what is going on, through our past experiences/filters.  Example:  if I was bitten as a child by a dog and it scared me, my amygdala remembers this.  As an adult if a dog comes up to me, my brain and body would register this dog as a threat.  It is through this perception I would react. (even if the dog is a little puppy dog).

Response: My whole body would tighten and see it as a threat to my survival.  My survival physiology would kick in. A rush of adrenalin and a dose of cortisol.  This response would be coming from my past event, not in present time.

Outcome:  perhaps I would yell, run or hit the dog.  This could perhaps create a situation that could hurt not only me, but the dog (remember it may actually be a little puppy, totally harmless)

This is human physiology in action.  It is not who we are, it is what our bodies and brains do.

We are all watching this in action out in the world today.  We all have a past that gets triggered by what is happening now.  Then many of us rather than take a pause, just react.  Often this makes things worse, or just a repeat of a pattern.

How do you break this cycle?  How do we as a collective break this cycle?

Go to your heart, breathe in and out from your heart.  This creates a pause in you, it calms the amygdala which caused a hijacking of your brain.  Doing this kind of breathing communicates safety to our bodies.  When we deep breath we only do this when we feel safe.  So we can consciously choose this state!

When we do this little step, we actually begin to access the higher brain which is for problem solving, empathy, impulse control, etc. and we have the ability to shift our perceptions!!

The head needs a heart in order to find it’s way.  With a heart in place, the head becomes the finest instrument of evolution as shared with other life forms.  Such a mode of awareness is worth cultivating.