A reaction happens in an instant; it’s informed by the past and fueled by emotions. A response takes a little longer; it includes the present and is empowered by awareness. Reactions are more likely to cause harm or bring up feelings of regret.
Responses are thoughtful and tend to take into consideration everyone involved and future consequences. It’s the difference between sending an angry or dismissive email to a coworker versus taking a moment to collect our thoughts before writing the email. Sometimes what makes a response possible is only a deep breath, and other times we need more time to keep from reacting.
The truth is that we’ll always have a reaction, but if we keep it to ourselves for a moment we can then decide how we want to act. #mentalfitness