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Katia Costa posted an update
Don’t React. Respond. Your Brain Will Thank You.
Ever noticed how your phone pings, your email flashes, someone calls your name, and suddenly your brain feels like a browser with 47 tabs open? That’s what happens when we react to everything around us.
Our brains are amazing, but they’re not built to handle every single piece of information flying our way. If we tried, we’d burn out faster than a phone on 2% battery running GPS, Spotify, and Instagram all at once.
That’s why the brain filters. It decides what’s worth your attention and what’s just background noise. It’s not being lazy, it’s being strategic.
Selective attention keeps us focused, balanced, and able to make better choices.
Here’s the key difference:
- Reacting is automatic. It’s that snap emotion, that impulse to reply, defend, or jump in.
- Responding is conscious. It’s pausing, breathing, choosing how (or if) something deserves your energy.
Unless we’re running from a tiger (or the 2025 version of it, maybe a chaotic inbox or a toddler with scissors), reacting usually just drains us. Responding, on the other hand, gives us control.
💡 Analysis:
When we stop reacting and start responding, we reclaim our mental bandwidth.
Our limited attention becomes a resource we invest instead of spend.
This shift improves emotional regulation, focus, and decision-making and keeps us from being dragged into unnecessary chaos.
It’s not about being detached; it’s about being deliberate.
👉 Try this:
Next time you feel triggered by a comment, a notification, or a traffic jam, pause and ask,
“Does this need my reaction, or my response?”
Your brain already knows the answer😉
Corina Todoran, Emerson K. and Victoria1 Comment-
Dearest Katia, the timing of this post could not be more divinely inspired. Thank you.🙏
It has been my experience that, the longer I walk this path, the more instinctive responding, as opposed to reacting, has become.
However, as recently as yesterday, I reacted to a situation, out of disappointment. My feelings were hurt and I took something personally and spent the 24 hours regretting it.
Being human is humbling. I suppose that’s where Grace comes in.
Thank you, Katia.🙏 I was thinking about this very thing when you posted this earlier.♥️
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