Send the Email Tomorrow

One thing I’ve been trying to do is notice when I feel triggered about something, and press pause on my response.

This doesn’t always work. The other day, I received an email that criticized something I did, and I felt defensive about it. I drafted an email response and sent it, while I was feeling reactive. Later, I regretted sending the email. The response wasn’t my best. It didn’t come from my wisest self.

Press the Pause Button

We all get reactive from time to time. It’s part of being a human being. When this happens, however, we usually aren’t able to respond effectively. The key here is to press the pause button on our response, and resolve to send the email tomorrow. Once you have cooled down, if you still think it’s a good idea to respond, go for it. But you might realize that a different kind of response (or no response at all) would be a more effective move.

Don’t Respond When Triggered

Make it a rule to not respond when you are feeling triggered. Take some time, sleep on it, and talk the situation over with a friend or family member. When you have cooled down, then you can decide what type of response would be in your best interests.