Getting to Know Our Reactions

They walked into the restaurant sensing that something was up. Their parents were anxious for them to join them tonight. They hadn’t had a family gathering for many months and had been caught up in the many changes in their life. 

As they located their parents, they noticed that their whole family was gathered. Their family members yelled, “Surprise!” Their family had apparently found out about their recent successes and wanted to celebrate with them. 

Having been caught up on advancing in their career, they had forgotten to keep in contact with their family. They felt a swell of pleasure to see them all and felt a tug of guilt for having neglected the family members. They found it hard to know how to react. They knew it was respectful to smile with audible gratitude, but they were overwhelmed inside and could only muster a quick response. 

In life, we will get caught in situations that trigger us in multiple ways. We could be happy but end up feeling self-conscious when in the presence of others. We want to express ourselves but get drawn by how we learned to react to a situation. We don’t always understand our automatic responses and our not knowing is a helpful nudge to learn more about ourselves and the choices we make.