Take a breath instead of reacting.

We’re all guilty of this.

And, there’s no filtering process when we react.

Things just blah out of our mouths or as we tap away with our fingers,

and it can get ugly.

We respond with anger, frustration, any emotion we feel,

and we say things we don’t really mean.

Basically, we become a whistling kettle needing to let out steam.

Well, something happened yesterday, where I found myself texting words of frustration about a person to another person.

I used words like "annoyed" "unreliable," and I vowed to cancel her out of the equation next time. Yep. I cancel cultured her. It was something about my kid that got me heated but still, not okay.

Because right after, I regretted my decision to talk badly about someone.

Because right after I considered why this person might have forgotten about us.

Because maybe they’re going through something personal that I’m unaware of.

Because maybe they’re struggling to find the impossible covid balance, of homeschooling and work.

I didn’t take the time to find my compassion and consideration for other's feelings.

If I took a breath, I wouldn’t have been feeling so badly about my response and any ramifications.

Because I’m not a person who talks crap normally.

And you know what I realized? It feels sh*tty to do (pun intended).

Take a breath instead of reacting.

When you’re about to respond to a person on the internet whose opinion is all sorts of wrong, well, at least in your opinion…

…take a breath, and respond with kindness or don’t respond at all.

When you're about to snap at your child, who has been working hard to get you to react all day…

…take a breath, and respond with kindness or don’t respond at all.

When someone cuts you off on the road, and you just want to rage out on them…

…take a breath, and respond with kindness or don’t respond at all.

With all the stress of covid and everyone’s opposing and very strong opinions on everything out there, we need to practice more breathing and less reacting.

So, please, 1, 2,3…

…breathe.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId