03/10/2025
The mind does this cool thing when sleeping (and it is an idea/process linked heavily to ), whereby it catalogues the day’s events and consolidates pre-existing knowledge or information with the current situation and one’s feelings.
In other words: it helps make sense of it all.
The human brain is simply amazing. Even when we’re sleeping it’s actively reorganizing recent information in a more coherent and logical way. This is why waiting to send that email, make that call or respond to a heated conversation can be beneficial.
Ever heard of the 24-hour rule?
This is the idea behind it and in addition to what is noted above - “sleeping it off,” mindfulness, & grounding, helps bring a person out of the “emotional” brain and into their prefrontal cortex (responsible for logic, reasoning and understanding).
So if you’re emotionally activated and wanting to respond, consider the following:
S: stop what you are doing and interrupt your thought process
T: take a breath (check out box breathing if you haven’t already - 4x4x4x4)
O: observe how you feel in your body and mind
P: proceed mindfully (and intentionally) when ready. Sleeping it off or waiting 24- hours may be a good idea - but be sure to ground first (if feeling dysregulated) so that you’re able to break your thought pattern and give your body/mind space to recalibrate.
Then, see how you’re feeling about it all.
Chances are you will have a much different perspective than what you initially felt.
“Time” is an excellent healer.
🇨🇦
