Reactive Loop Trap

Invisiblock

The reactive loop trap is when you consistently make emotion-based decisions. This is sometimes due to unresolved, unanalyzed, and unnamed emotions from past experiences. You skip logic completely, and you avoid changing your frame of reference to gain insight from other perspectives. Instead, you immediately make a decision when in the throes of emotions. You don’t look before you leap, and you end up in a hole.

The answer to this problem is to take a step out of your emotions. Use the Witness to observe yourself and the scene. It takes time and practice to go through this because logic is a skill that needs to be learned, but the result is much better than acting on passions.

Invisiblock

Symptoms

You may experience one or more of these. Please remember, these are nonjudgmental assessments.

1. Triggerable: You are controlled by your emotions and easily triggered.
2. Defensive: You are emotionally defensive and impulsively attack others, whether verbally or physically.
3. Justification: You have a sensitive ego, and you avoid accountability for your actions. You believe that your behavior is a result of circumstances outside your control, such as other people or situation, so you justify not changing yourself.
4. Egocentric: You are egotistical or narcistic, and you believe that admitting your mistakes would mean acknowledging weakness.
5. Projection: You seek temporary, meaningless relief from emotional pain by insulting others to save face or reputation. This might be a result of low self-esteem or psychological projection, where you project your insecurities onto others.
6. Victimhood: You always feel like a target of criticism.

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Plan of Attack

Focus on

1. De-escalating your emotions by using The Pause
   
2. Naming the emotions that are causing you to react.
3. Grounding decisions in your principles instead of feelings for long-term resilience
   
   

Micro Actions

1. The Pause
2. Name the feeling
3. Two Records Technique: record 1 emotional response; 15 minutes later, record a second more logical response
4. Future Self Opinion: Will my future self thank me or apologize for this choice?

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See Also

• Self-identity