Thanks LU and Betty. Learning not to react, stopping and pausing to take some time, is so important for me. Sometimes I just need to take some moments, which could be a few minutes or a few days, to decide what my next best action will be. And it can mean do nothing, or really think through what I want to say. Blurting things out in the heat of the moment causes a lot of destruction in relationships I think. I'm grateful for another wonderful tool, Lyne

Love this gentle reminder. I have gotten better about this over the years, but I do sometimes react in ways that I am not pleased about within myself. Lots of self introspection that will usually occur afterwards. I try to remind myself that I'm always a work in progress!

Thank you for your share on this important topic. Rushing into things, reacting in the heat of the moment is a character defect of mine. Taking the time to step away and live with the uncomfortable feeling of not "fixing" whatever issue presents itself is a challenge for me. When I practice pausing, often the "crisis" passes without any interference from me.

A great reminder, LU! Thank you for your service!

I am currently waiting to take my Boxer baby to the vet... praying it's just a bladder infection and not a cancerous bladder tumor...so this was PERFECT for me right now. Try to not REACT... let it go into my HP's willing hands.

Peace.

Thank you LU for the daily and your service. Thanks to all for the ESH above me! Love, love, love shares about recovery and working it.

I was a big reactive soul prior to recovery. I am grateful that we have so many tools to change up how we react/respond to the disease, the diseased and all others we encounter. The Pause that's in my signature is also on my Fridge, as well as in my wallet. I do recall hearing about pausing in my younger days - did not think it relative or necessary. And yet today, I find it necessary and so worth it!

Happy Saturday to all - PnP - sending prayers for your pup.....let us know how it's going!

So this is how this topic is working for me today:

Got an appointment for my Boxer. By touching bases here - specifically this topic (thank you LU!) - I was able to be calm while I waited for appointment time, AND the long wait at the vet's office - which is always hard. This not only kept my serenity intact, but kept my dog from getting too anxious - which is imperative, as she no longer has use of her back legs and that alone makes her upset, not to mention the pain from frantically moving about. Animals feel our emotions long before we actually recognize them, so this was a great thing!!
Exam showed no bladder cancer that could be felt, no large stone, & no tumors in stomach, so UA was sent to the lab, & antibiotics were begun! I am confident that my pup will be feeling better soon!

Prior to Al-Anon, I would have worried myself into a tizzy, thinking of only the worst case scenarios. My energy would feed into my pup, and she would feel even more anxious than the normal "I am at the vet" jitters. Not only that, but I would sit with those "worst case scenarios" for the rest of the day!

So when the veterans here tell you "It works if you work it!" They speak the truth!

(((PnP))) - great news! Thanks for coming back to share. I so agree with the intuition and 'reads' from animals. They sense what we're feeling - in my case, mine probably can identify before me!! Take good care of you both - hoping your pup feels better soon!

(((((((((((PnP)))))))))))))) so very glad for missus boxer...our pets are our 4 legged children.....and thank you LU for this reminder.......respond - not - react---- I still catch me in reaction mode too many times..not as bad as b4, but still bad....lots of unnecessary anger......Sometimes I think I am just too messed up for program like "this is as good as it gets" my "reaction" part of me wants to just toss in the towel, my responding part of me says EASY DOES IT and ODAT....one foot step at a time....try again....restart my day.......breeeeeeethe and breeeeeethe some more...........