The emotional level is just as is sounds — touchy, feely, sensitive, defensive, and reactionary to any combative situation or conversation without the drive of thought, logic or reason. 

We are not thinking, we are simply feeling.

If we could just pause the emotional script, for just 5 seconds, and allow our brain to quickly work for us.  This would result in us being better at creating solutions to conflicts with less impulsive reactions in which we will regret, or have to apologize for.

If you’ve seen the movie Sherlock Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr, you will recall a fighting match in which Holmes was involved, where he told his opponent, he was done fighting, and began walking out of the ring, giving the win of the fight to his opponent.  But to keep Holmes in the fight, his opponent hocks up and spit on the back of Holmes’ neck as Holmes was trying to exit the ring!

Holmes paused, and said to himself, “This mustn’t register on an emotional level”. His mind rapidly fast forwards, and enacts, play by play, the damage he was about to inflict on his opponent, with enough pause time to also diagnose the soon to be inflicted injuries.

The spit on the back of his neck forced Holmes back into the fight.  He began to fight, executing skill and precision, for every kick, blow, slap and strike, play by play, just as he envisioned, until he knocks his “hock spitting” opponent out of the ring.

We could incorporate the same, “This mustn’t register on an emotional level” mentality.

There are many advantages in adopting this mentality.  We could execute more damage (yes damage) with rational responses, and physical defenses as necessary.  We can analyze the motive of the opponent with accuracy, (as well as their level of stupidity)  we can laugh at someone talking about us, and handle a verbal back stabbing with an understanding of the lame source from which it came.

We give people the power to control us through our emotions, especially when they know how we will respond.  We grant people manipulation rights and give them access to regulate our reactions.

Boxers and other athletes understand this strategy very well.

Logic is not devoid of emotion, it is just not driven by it.

Registering on an emotional level in times of high intense situations only weakens our response, and our fight, which is not in our best defense.

Taking a moment to pause, and process situations will result in a response of reactionary thought versus reactionary feeling.

When we make decisions in the middle of a combative situation, it will be a sound and final decision from rational judgment, versus one we will digress on later— all because we acted in anger.  This will solidify our word, thus our bond. It is important to say what you mean and mean what you say.  Your credibility is always at stake and it begins with your word.

Programming our minds to stop, and think, will help us to “….not register on an emotional level”.  We will have less intense arguments, and people will not get to us so quickly.

The most powerful part of all, is a non— emotional answer can psychologically  maim or silence anyone who insists on being confrontationally stupid.

“This mustn’t register on an emotional level”.