I saw that both of these responses to stress only harm us, clutter our heart and mind, take up space, and reduce our ability to see accurately and discern how we might naturally, wisely, and effectively care for ourselves and others.
Today, notice your own default patterns of feeling and reasoning under stress. If you are already in the habit of doing that, add something new. Maybe just be willing to think and feel differently. Maybe challenge a thought with “Is that true?” Maybe actively replace the thought with a more realistic one. Maybe you do something, anything, differently to gain practice in breaking habitual patterns.