Notes: Relationship Building & Restoration

Session #8 Relationship Building & Restoration

Think about a situation you wish had turned out differently. Handwriting it down allows you to manage it “hands on” as you reflect on the incident/situation. Try to capture as much detail as possible by remembering how the incident started.  What did it look like as it progressed? What was the actual outcome?  What do you wish could have been different?

Use deep breathing, slow rhythmic breaths from your diaphragm. Recall the experience and the setting, the weather, the furniture, rain, sunshine, as much detail as you can. Begin to see the incident/situation from a managed perspective rather than an effort to control your emotions. This deliberate type of behavioral exercise is giving you permission to re-visit the incident on your own terms. To return to the incident and manage the feelings associated with it gives you more clarity. As a result, you better understand the triggers associated with anger directed at you or anger you project on others.

This handwriting exercise is a gift you give yourself. When you shine the light of new insight on previous incidents, you begin to travel on the pathway to measured emotional response. It starts where you are and pushes you more quickly to adaptation of new and/or renewed exposure to simple shifts in how you put your thoughts together. 

Trust Building Factors

Attitudes:

• We are 100% responsible for our attitude.
• Attitude communicates our mood to each other.
• We guess at knowing someone’s attitude.

Perception

• Perception is how you see your world.
• Each of us has our own unique perception.
• Our goal is to align our perception with reality by discovering our communication style.

Stay in touch with feelings    Focus on “real world” experiences