Who Answers the Door?

When an emotion arises, who is it that notices?
I don’t mean your body — that would ignore your mind.
And I don’t mean your mind — that would forget the experience your body has endured.

Who is it that answers the door when sadness knocks?
Who turns on the lights when joy shows its face?

Emotions can become unruly guests when left untended.
But who is it that must usher them home?

The next time you find yourself answering the door for an emotion,
ask yourself:
“Whose door is this emotion knocking on?”
“Who am I?”

Because if you are not your body,
and not your mind,
and emotions are felt by both —
then who are you, really?

It takes effort to simply pause —
but there is power in silence.

In our times, there’s an urge to express everything immediately —
to react instead of respond.
Sometimes all that’s needed is a moment before the motion.

It doesn’t have to be long,
and you can still trust your emotions, if you choose.
But give your mind, body, and spirit a chance
to meet in the same moment before you act.

This is the difference between responding and reacting.

When you react, you follow the learned hooks hidden in emotion.
Yes, you can trust your feelings —
but remember, they are guests who love to hear their own voice.

Next Time

When something happens…
Breathe in for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 4+ seconds.
Repeat ×3.
Then respond.

Of course, there are times when you must react —
to protect, to defend, to move through pain.
But do not allow any current state
to become your forever.
Do not let an emotion rule your life.

Another Way to Ground

When something arises and your thoughts begin to race —
return to the body, gently.

Name:

5 things you can see
(Laptop, mouse, water glass, phone, books)

4 things you can touch
(Chair, shirt, laptop, skin)

3 things you can hear
(Birds outside, a fan, your own breathing)

2 things you can smell
(Coffee, air)

1 thing you can taste
(Coffee)

The goal isn’t perfection —
only to ground the body and remind it of its presence,
to give the mind a gap wide enough
for emotion to settle and all the senses to allow their time
before you engage further.

Remember

You are stardust from stars that exploded long before you lived.
Bits of the universe, gathered in a strange and beautiful vessel.

As steward of that vessel,
you choose which experience unfolds for the universe.

You are the universe,
experiencing itself —
and you choose the door,
every time, for every one.