‘Between stimulus and response there is a space..
“ .. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”
This quote by Austrian neurologist/psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, captures a key principle in mindfulness.
Regular practice allows us to calm our naturally built-in stress response system, which is hard-wired in our brains, for evolutionary survival purposes. So, whether we are dealing with a real-life threat (e.g. a reckless driver on the road, somebody physically attacking us), or a non-life threatening event that is perceived as unpleasant (e.g. receiving negative feedback, dealing with an angry person), our very same sympathetic nervous system gets activated, which makes us want to fight or escape the situation.
This is often not helpful in the moment, disturbing our inner emotional & physiological state, and causes us unnecessary discomfort. So, a repetitive form of meditation trains us to stay grounded and calm, to see things just as they are, leaving over-interpretations or judgments aside.
To put it simply, mindfulness allows you to:
a) notice a stress trigger
b) pause & ground yourself – Frankl’s ‘space’
c) get in touch with your inner landscape (sensations, feelings, thoughts)
d) distinguish fact from opinion / judgement
e) revisit your intentions & reflect on available choices
f) decide on a suitable response that best serves your intentions
The result is often a wiser, more reflected response and a calmer emotional & physiological state - the ‘growth’ & ‘freedom’ in Frankl's quote.
This is in direct contrast to an impulsive reaction, often accompanied by some form of emotional charge (e.g. anger, frustration), which negatively alters our physiological state (e.g. racing heart, elevated blood pressure), leaving us feeling out of balance, with an unsettled body & mind.
The same naturally applies when we encounter a positive stimulus in our lives. By pausing, taking in and savouring the pleasant experiences, we learn to appreciate them more and more. Even the day-to-day little things: the changing colour of the morning sky, the smile of a passer-by, a warm evening meal ..
