Ninety seconds of diffusion

It's interesting what difference ninety seconds can make in our decision-making processes, especially when under certain emotions. Everyone has at one point in this life said or done things sponsored by their emotions that they wish they didn't.

Perhaps if we had chosen to think first—even if it's just ninety seconds—to assess the situation and how we were feeling, then we may have responded in a much more controlled way and made better decisions.

Let's be honest, mastering one's emotions is a really powerful thing to do, but it's also not the easiest. In the middle of something heated, it could be challenging to choose to not listen to the chemicals coursing through our veins, but the mind performs better when it is in an optimal state.

One time when I forgot my guitar in the booth of a cab on my way to school. I had been in a small altercation with the driver earlier, and that's how it happened. It was much later that I noticed, but the cab driver was long. I was going to panic when I realised, but I thought about the fact that worrying and losing it was not going to solve the problem. I paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath, then I began to think of the next best move.

I knew that the worst that could happen was that I would actually totally lose the guitar that I had recently spent a lot of money on, but there was a slim chance of actually finding it if I traced the cab back to where I initially boarded it. I came up with a strategy and then found a motorcyclist to share the situation with. Long story short, I found the guitar. But I could have lost it forever if I didn't calm myself down and think.

There are times when I let how I am feeling drive my thoughts and decisions. I would think about them and realise how poorly I handled certain situations. While I may not be able to change situations or the behaviour or people towards me, I can do something about how I respond. I get to choose what I think, do, and say about what happens.

So in the times people aren't at least civil with me—say, with their words—or just being obnoxious, situations are unfavourable and frustration could set in, or even when I get nervous, the first thing I try to do is assess the situation, my emotions, and see how optimally I can respond to it. Sometimes you don't get second chances at the things you do or say, so it could be worth taking some time to think through, even if it's just for ninety seconds.

Counting up to ninety seconds may not come to mind, but the point is to take time to assess the situation of things when we feel like our emotions may take us down an undesired route and letting the emotions dissipate as we think through.