[Daily OM]: Our experiences color everything.
The events of the past can have a profound effect on how we see our
lives now and what we choose to believe about our world. Our past
experiences can also influence our emotional reactions and responses to
present events. Each of us reacts to stimulus based on what we have
learned in life. There is no right or wrong to it; it is simply the
result of past experience. Later, when our strong feelings have passed,
we may be surprised at our reactions. Yet when we face a similar
situation, again our reactions may be the same. When we understand those
experiences, we can come that much closer to understanding our
reactions and consciously change them.
Between stimulus and reaction exists a fleeting moment of thought.
Often, that thought is based on something that has happened to you in
the past. When presented with a similar situation later on, your natural
impulse is to unconsciously regard it in a similar light. For example,
if you survived a traumatic automobile accident as a youngster, the
first thing you might feel upon witnessing even a minor collision
between vehicles may be intense panic. If you harbor unpleasant
associations with death from a past experience, you may find yourself
unable to think about death as a gentle release or the next step toward a
new kind of existence. You can, however, minimize the intensity of your
reactions by identifying the momentary thought that inspires your
reaction. Then, next time, replace that thought with a more positive
one.
Modifying your reaction by modifying your thoughts is difficult, but it
can help you to see and experience formerly unpleasant situations in a
whole new light. It allows you to stop reacting unconsciously. Learning
the reason of your reactions may also help you put aside a negative
reaction long enough to respond in more positive and empowered ways.
Your reactions and responses then become about what's happening in the
present moment rather than about the past. As time passes, your negative
thoughts may lose strength, leaving only your positive thoughts to
inform your healthy reactions.