How the 3rd law of Isaac Newton can improve our relationships
You act, then I react!
The words that we use, bestow us key responses to profound truths.
Action = a movement made towards something/someone.
Reaction = the response/reply to the action received.
Both of them come with force. Force means to gather all our cells from the body and order them to consume energy for one purpose. Through our thoughts, we command them to move and through intention, we settle the intensity of the action.
The action it’s realized with a force at a certain level of intensity. The reaction is the response to the action received and it happens with the same force at the same level of intensity but in the reverse direction.
This is exactly what the 3rd law of motion discovered by Isaac Newton explains: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
Why the 3rd law can help us in our relationships?
Being aware of the dynamic of this Universal Law, we understand ourselves better and we become aware of what it’s created within us. In relationships, we translate this law through the language of emotions. Meaning that emotions are responses created within ourselves, due to the actions received from outside of us.
You act towards me with rage, I react towards you with the same emotion and at the same intensity. This is the instinctive part of ourselves. We are manufactured to respond instinctively so we can sense what we create and exert. But instinct it’s a reflex of our body, for purposes such as development, reproduction, feeding, and defense.
Realizing that we have a reaction to any action made towards us, can change our instinctive behavior dramatically. Instincts are created to help us survive in this world but we are beings with consciousness. We are the only ones who can observe our surroundings and create different versions of it. And we will constantly improve anything because we are more than the power of protecting our lives.
How you can improve relationships with others, through this law?
1. Observe your reactions
Be alert and identify what kind of emotion arises within yourself. The more you observe the switching points of your mood, the more you will realize that you tend to react with a smile when another person smiles at you. Or you will observe that the expression of your face changes due to the emotion experienced while listening to a happy/sad story.
Observe any changes that appear in your body and of your body.
2. Breathe deeply and bring yourself to the present moment
When the emotion is conquering your body and your rationality, breathe in deeply through your nostrils and exhale the air through your mouth.
There are 3 channels of energy in our body through which the energy flows. The channel situated in the center, named Sushumna, has the purpose of bringing us to the present moment. By breathing through both of our nostrils, we are consciously making the air, flow vertically. By doing this, we distribute the energy in all of our 7 centers of energy — chakras — which makes us feel grounded.
Use this technique when you are filled with intense emotion. You will be able to ground yourself, become conscious of your feelings, and of the impact created by them. Afterward, it will be easier — if you are not accustomed, you may feel a tiny difference, but it’s still a difference — to communicate how you truly want, through who you are when you are still, and not through the instinctive response.
3. Make no assumptions and check your feeling
We have different perceptions and stories in our minds. That’s why it is very important to make no assumptions when you’re filled with a reaction. Express your emotions.
If you become angry, affirm it: ”I sense anger, is that right? Do you want to share with me the reason?” Listen to the response you’re receiving, and afterward communicate your opinion. But remember, the reason is to create better communication, so do it with an open mind.
Take into consideration the other person’s feelings, respect them, and share yours too. Do this to understand each other’s opinions and feelings. And if you don’t understand them, respect them. Maybe you’re not on the same page, and this is okay too. You will eventually figure out what to do with this kind of information.
4. Practice meditation
This is a bonus tip, but I recommend it as a key point to all of the steps mentioned before. To become more aware of the sensations of your body, you have to learn to observe them.
Through meditation, you will learn so much about yourself, your emotions and mostly you’ll learn to observe the sensations of your body with an equanimous mind. Meditate 10/15 minutes per day, in a comfortable position, and during this time, observe only the sensations of your body, any tiny reaction, even a pinch. Observe it and let it pass. When thoughts arise and you are caught by them, take a deep breath in, exhale it out, and go back to the sensations of your body.
Be patient with yourself and understand that we are all different. Now that you have discovered that it’s in our nature to have a response to every action that is made towards us, choose to be more mindful of what you receive from outside.
Feel it, observe it, take what resonates with you, and abandon what doesn’t. We are all different and this is what makes the present moment worth be lived with a conscious mind. Nothing is permanent, everything is changing. Embrace that.
~ Breathe in and Namaste ~
