Emotional Regulation
When something triggers you, your amygdala — your emotional alarm system — reacts quickly.
It prepares your body to:
Fight (defend or attack)
Flee (withdraw or avoid)
Freeze, or
Fawn (try to appease or please)
Your heart rate changes.
Your muscles tense.
Your breathing shifts.
Then your prefrontal cortex — the centre of reflection and discernment — has the opportunity to step in.
But when emotion is intense, reflection becomes harder.
You could think of it this way:
You know how we sometimes say that we have two voices in our head? Imagine one voice pushing you to react, and the other inviting you to pause and reflect.
Regulation strengthens the reflective voice. Consider what Scripture says:
“One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city. (Prov 16:32)”
And here is what matters, which you need to know:
Your brain strengthens whatever you repeat.
If you repeatedly explode, this is what your brain saves as your default way of dealing with similar situations, and explosion becomes automatic.
If you repeatedly pause, that is what your brain saves as your default and automatic response to similar situations.
Repetition forms character, whether done intentionally or unintentionally.
Your character impacts your service to God and determines how useful and reliable an instrument you can be to the Holy Spirit.
Quick question:
When something triggers you, what do you tend to repeat: reacting immediately, or pausing long enough to reflect?
As a servant of God, you should remember this verse when emotions rise:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
