Taking Reaction Out of Your Responses

Remember a time when you walked away from a conversation or situation, recognizing that you could have handled it better, that your reaction didn’t go how you wanted.

Recognizing your reactions is a big step in learning to respond with awareness.

However, we often get stuck in a loop and hold ourselves back by replaying the situation and our reaction to it. We hold on to this energy, keeping it in our awareness so it continues to play out in our lives. It’s time to be proactive with this awareness, release the energy and step into spiritual growth. 

What are Reactions

Reactions are impulsive, emotional responses that stem from our personal experiences and fears.

The word react comes from re (again) act (a thing done) or doing a thing over and over. 

Reactions are indicators of old stored emotions rising in your energy field.

They are signals from your energetic self telling you, “Hey, you’ve got something to work on!”

So, if we truly desire to heal, grow, and elevate our vibration, it’s time to stop ‘doing a thing over and over.’ Wherever in your life you thought this behavior would benefit you, it’s no longer serving your higher purpose. It’s time to thank it, set it free, and move on. 

Releasing the Reaction Loop

Once you’ve identified your reaction, it’s time to release and spiritually heal. Trust your intuition/higher self to give you the answers. Ask your angels and guides to help you.   

If you’d like, write your thoughts down. You can also talk it out loud with yourself.

1. Ask yourself what your reaction was.
   • Remember, your response to someone is a reflection of you. How they respond is a reflection of them.  There is no placing blame on the other person or situation for your REACTION.  It’s time to be the hero of your story and own your part. 
   • Some common reactions are outbursts and yelling (anger), putting yourself down or apologizing, anxiety about a new situation, and angry crying.
2. Ask yourself why you reacted that way.
   • Your reason will resonate with you like an “ah-ha” moment. Just in case you need some help getting started, here is a guide to help you (remember, each person is unique, so this is a general guide).
     • Anger: need to express a fear, sadness, vulnerability (hurt)
     • Putting yourself down/apologizing: give worth to yourself and what you need/want
     • Anxiety: grounding, being fully aware that you are safe, fear, trust
     • Angry cry: need to speak your truth
3. Once you’ve identified why you reacted the way you did, reflect on all the times you reacted this way. When was the first time?
   • The first time is usually at a younger age when we do not have the same tools and perspectives we have as adults. We put defense mechanisms in place that may make sense as a young child (even if it’s not the best approach) but not as an adult. 

Healing in Spirit

Ok, that’s the heady work. Now, let’s get into the releasing and spiritual healing.  It’s time to shift from thinking with logic to tapping into your spirit and your energy.  Set the Ego and the logic aside and allow the intuition, creativity, and imagination to come in. 

4. Notice where in your body you feel this reaction. There is no wrong answer.
   • Identify the chakra closest to where you feel it (click here to learn about chakras and where they are located).  Take a deep breath in and set the intention to release these old stored emotions/energy.  Exhale and begin pulling the energy from the area you identified.  If you have a candle, give the energy into the flame. If not, release it to Mother Earth to compost into something beautiful. Notice how the energy you are removing feels. Does it feel thick and heavy, string or web-like? Let your imagination/intuition guide you. Repeat this until you feel the energy clear (trust yourself; you’ll sense it).
5. When you feel you have removed it all, take a deep breath in and set the intention to heal the energetic wound.
   • Reach your hands up above your head, and see/feel yourself reaching into a bright light. Pull that light/energy into the area where you released the old energies, like packing a wound. 
6. Reaffirm that you have released and healed this energy and welcome in your authentic healed self. Express gratitude for the ability to heal and change. 

Aligning the change

Good work! Now, it’s time to work on a different response. On a new piece of paper, write out how you are going to respond in the future. (Take deep breaths, allow yourself time to feel grounded, and respond with integrity, intention, and thoughtfulness.)

Trust yourself that you will recognize the reaction/signal next time and make the choice to respond differently.  

After I first did this and found myself in a situation where I was responding the old way, I reached out with my hand as if to grab it back and said, “Not this time.”  I took a deep breath.  It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t let the non-perfect parts overshadow the moment I chose to respond vs react.  It was empowering.  By releasing the energetic part of the wound, I was able to heal mentally too.  No longer a victim of my own reactions but a hero in my new responses. 

The key is to choose to give yourself the ease and grace to trust the wound is healed, and new habits/responses will take place.

If you’d like to work on your reactions one-on-one, book a session here.