Yesterday, we visited Lalbagh after so many years. D had a memorable time, eating cotton candy after a long time. D and I were craving choco-bar ice cream ever since we watched KRK🙂 So we treated ourselves to choco-bar, roamed around the garden, sat on the grass, and played a game of Snakes&Ladders. We then stopped for eating Khali Dosa (kal dosai) at Hotel Dwaraka. It was a fun evening, but there were also times when I got triggered for multiple reasons - getting stuck in traffic, delay in getting a cup of chai when I so desperately wanted it, searching for a clean washroom, etc.
As I reflected on the day, I realized how our day can be depicted in the form of a wave pattern.
Imagine a line segment that's starting to move from left to right, as you wake up in the morning. There are multiple forms of triggers we encounter in our daily lives.
If we were a monk/saint, I presume we will not be affected by any of them. Our day will depict a straight, steady line, with no waveforms (ups/downs).
That may not be the case for humans like us. Our reactions/responses to triggers will depict multiple waves of ups/downs. Frequencies might be higher if we react to every little situation. The amplitude of certain waves might be higher if the triggers warrant a serious reaction. This might also be true if they tend to pull up unresolved emotions from the past or create anxiety about the future.
As we become more aware of the triggers and our reactions/responses to them, we can start to reduce the frequency of these waves. We might end up realizing that there is no need to react to every single trigger that comes our way. We may choose to ignore it and move on.
We can also reduce the amplitude of these waves through mindfulness and being in the present moment. We accept our reactions to those triggers and do not feel guilty about it. With awareness, we might consciously choose not to blow it out of proportion. We might even get an insight about ourselves - our childhood conditioning, our values, our expectations, our unmet needs, or the mere fact that we are not setting the right boundaries. In such scenarios, we gladly accept the trigger, and our reaction to it and move on gracefully.
How's your wave pattern today?