When Faced With Adversity, Do You React or Respond?
In this life, you will face challenges. Tis the way of the world, unfortunately. (Or fortunately, if you adopt a different mindset.)
If we can learn to respond to adversity, calmly and with intention, we build mental resilience knowing we can handle whatever life puts in our path. In this way, you can choose to embrace adversity knowing that it will help make you a stronger person.
For the athletes among us, think of it like flexing your mental muscles. Encountering adversity is just like pushing through a tough training session. It’s like brain burpees, cognitive crunches, or perseverance pushups. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)
The key with facing adversity is learning how to respond, instead of react.
What do you mean? Aren’t they basically the same thing?
Nope. One is an emotional reaction while the other is an intentional choice. Ultimately, the decision you make can affect your mindset, impact performance, and shape success.
In today’s post, we will cover:
Difference between reacting and responding
Key benefits of responding
*Triple Threat Life Club members get access to The 3-Step Mental Reset Plan: Learn How to Handle Adversity Like a Pro
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I’m Brittany Vermeer, a journalist by trade and a triathlete by day, and this is Triple Threat Life. The founding principle behind TTL is to provide practical advice, expert insights, and mindset tips to help everyday athletes succeed, both in sport and in life.
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Difference between reacting and responding
Before you started reading this post, you probably never considered that there’s a difference between reacting and responding. As a writer, I appreciate the power of words. We can look at the definitions of react and respond to highlight a few key differences in meaning.
React- to act or behave in response to stimulation or influence
A reaction is often characterized as an immediate, knee-jerk response to a situation. It’s impulsive and emotional, often driven by fear, anger, or embarrassment. Think about what it feels like to stub your toe on the edge of your bed. You’re angry, in pain, and react immediately, probably with a few choice words for the bed frame. You react without much thought- it’s pure emotion.
Take this a step further and consider how you might react if you found out a friend is telling untruths and talking about you behind your back. If you were to react to this situation, it might involve an angry text or phone call, or even a social media post you’ll probably regret later.
Respond- to say something in return, or to make an answer
A response includes both conscious thought and action. It’s an intentional choice that involves using our reasoning abilities to consider all options available to us. It’s constructive and seeks a solution.
Consider this. Your boss announces that a project deadline has been moved up by a week. Your immediate reaction is frustration. You might think, "This is impossible! How could he do this? This isn’t fair!" You feel panic rise as you scramble to figure out how to complete everything on time. In the heat of the moment, you might complain to a co-worker or send a hasty email to your boss.
Or, instead of reacting impulsively, you could respond by taking a moment to breathe and assess the situation. Then, you consider the work that’s left to do and ask your boss if there are any changes that could be made to the scope of the project to help you meet the new deadline.
Finally, you create a plan of action and move forward with confidence.
While a reaction is driven by emotion, a response involves thoughtful action.
Key benefits of responding
If you can learn to respond, instead of react, you will experience these key benefits:
Increased emotional control
Better decision-making
Less wasted energy and anxiety
Better confidence
Improved performance
If you’re an athlete, pay attention to that last one in particular.
Can I really see improved performance by learning how to respond to adversity instead of reacting?
Yes, you can!
For example, let’s say you’re racing a 70.3. Halfway through the run, fatigue starts to set in. Your legs feels heavy, your breathing is labored, and you watch in frustration as your pace slows every mile. You might spiral, thinking "I can’t do this!" and lose all confidence in your ability to finish the race. You might get angry, thinking “This is stupid! All this training for nothing. What a waste!”
Meanwhile, you aren’t focused on maintaining good form or controlling your breathing. Your anger and frustration wastes precious energy and causes your heart rate to rise. You aren’t fueling properly or cooling yourself at aid stations.
This type of reaction will completely derail any chance you have to salvage the race.
But what happens if you choose to respond instead of react?
Instead of becoming emotional, you assess the situation objectively, only focusing on the facts. What’s causing the problem?
Did you push too hard on the bike?
Have you been neglecting your nutrition?
Is your heart rate too high?
Are you cooling yourself at each aid station?
By adopting a problem-solving approach, you can determine the most likely cause and make changes to your plan to better execute the remainder of your race. Maybe you shift focus to your breathing, take walk breaks to reset form and lower heart rate, grab ice at every aid station, and take in more fuel. This method provides a much higher likelihood of you being able to finish the race with a result you’re proud of.
Sometimes, all it takes is a few thoughtful adjustments, instead of jumping to the “This is a disaster! Woe is me!” thinking right from the outset.
Sounds great, right? I’ll just respond instead of react. Easy fix!
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. As human beings, we’re always more likely to react emotionally instead of respond thoughtfully. It’s in our nature. It’s easy.
Learning how to respond calmly and with intention is hard to do, but once you master it, you will see an improvement in your relationships with others, physical performance in training sessions and races, and change the way you interact with the world in general.
To help with this process, we’ve created the 3-Step Mental Reset Plan: Learn How to Handle Adversity Like a Pro, and Triple Threat Life Club members get it for free!
Inside is a simple framework with steps to follow. It has example scenarios and guided reflection that will help you learn how to respond instead of react. Mastering this skill is a total game-changer. I know, because it’s something I’m working on myself!
Even if you don’t upgrade to check out the guide, I would still encourage you to start noticing your reactions and practice a more thoughtful response.
Can you recall a recent situation where you reacted emotionally instead of responding thoughtfully? How could you respond better next time?
Upgrade to access 3-Step Mental Reset Plan: Learn How to Handle Adversity Like a Pro