Confessions of an Exploder

That's right, I'm an exploder.

What that means is that I react explosively to stressful situations. This is a VERY bad thing in a survival situation where an impulsive move can waste valuable energy and potentially cause an injury or worse. I have two things going for me, however, that prevent this from ever becoming a serious problem.

1. I have a VERY long fuse.
2. After 35 years of dealing with it, I've gotten very good at recovering quickly from the explosions.

It's not just an issue with my temper either. It's about that initial panic or fear that an unknown situation can present--the "fight or flight" response. My heart rate skyrockets, adrenaline dumps rapidly into my bloodstream, and my brain rockets to full speed. It's the following few seconds that can make or break a stressful situation.

Take a deep breath. Your situation is likely not going to worsen in one or two seconds and that breath may be enough to bring you back to your senses.

Get yourself out of harm's way.

Reassess the situation and figure out what your assets and liabilities are.

Get back to the job at hand.

Now the explosive reactions are not purely detrimental. I have found them useful to provide me with that extra burst of speed or extra strength when I need it.

Losing control of your emotions is ALWAYS dangerous and explosive reactors can go from idle to full-throttle instantly so it's important to admit to yourself that you have a problem (I'm not trying to say that any of you have this problem) and to deal with it head on. That's what I've done and it's amazing how much better I can handle stressful situations by understanding that the initial reaction is extreme and that I CAN control it quickly and simply.

Thanks for reading,


B