How reactions can get in the way during the pandemic and how to change them.

Why it is important to be aware of our reactions:

Our reactions can get in the way of what is beneficial for our own health and wellness. Yet our reactions are often based on conditioned responses. So we often don’t even recognize them. We focus on changing things around us to make us feel better. This can take considerable effort with limited success.

It can be liberating to be able to change our reactions to the situations around us. This allows us to focus our energy on meaningful action. Learning to resolve our automatic responses also helps us to feel more comfortable being alone, more confident that our children will be ok and more accepting of our current situation. We are more present rather than stuck in patterns of worry, fear and anxiety. And we are better able to see available options and to make necessary decisions.

5 ways our reactions can get in the way during the pandemic:

1. Limit our ability to wear a mask: Many of us can put on a mask and although it may feel uncomfortable, it is not especially distressing. Yet for some people, the mask can trigger an intense, unexplainable response. Despite others knowing that it is no big deal to wear a mask, the sensations persist. The reactions are intense.
   
2. Prevent us from getting a vaccine: For most people, getting a vaccine is no big deal. For some, a bad experience with needles in the past leads to the same reaction each time they think about a needle. Simply the thought of a needle, can trigger intense emotional and physical sensations.
   A memory, a belief or a fantasy about what could happen may also lead to an intense reaction that vaccines are harmful.  While others may explain the benefits, there is an inability to move beyond this reaction.
   
3. Resist following public health guidelines: In many cases, we have been conditioned to do what we want. Suddenly we are told that we need to stay home. We can’t visit our parents and we can’t get together with friends. We react by spending time arguing for our freedoms while the virus spreads. Taking action would result in adopting guidelines that prevent the spread.
   
4. Going to work when we are sick: We have been conditioned to work hard and be strong. We don’t stop for a sniffle or a cough. And yet during a pandemic, we are being asked to stay at home with these symptoms. This can feel distressing. At times we may react by even denying that we have these symptoms. This reaction can get in the way of stopping the spread.
   
5. Amplifies the distress: We often make our best decisions when we feel a sense of calm and clarity. During the pandemic, our world suddenly changes. It can be hard to see how our reactions get in the way and impact others. When we are constantly triggered by reactive behaviours, it can amplify the distress in the situation. Learning to resolve what bothers us before taking action feels better.

How we can change our reactions:

So how do we change our reactions? These thoughts, emotions and physical sensations operate at an energetic level. Logosynthesis® offers a comprehensive model to identify and resolve the frozen perceptions or mental imagery that trigger these reactions. When the perception is shifted, there is nothing to trigger the reaction. We no longer experience the distressing response. We no longer react and are therefore, free to choose a response based on the present conditions.

You can try the method by watching this guided exercise: What is Logosynthesis®? Find a quiet spot. Watch the entire video. Notice what shifts.

Available resources to learn about Logosynthesis:

If you would like to learn more about Logosynthesis, developed by Dr. Willem Lammers, and how it can benefit your everyday living, resources are available:

If you would like to learn more about the founder of Logosynthesis, Dr. Willem Lammers, and the international community of coaches, counsellors and therapists, check out these resources: