The Split Second
The Split Second is a brief moment where you recognize and redirect feelings. It's when you recognize a feeling that you've felt before – a feeling that resulted in mistakes, pain, or regret... then you acknowledge it and let it go.
When I was learning how to ski in my early 20s, I had to learn to prevent falls. I remember skiing down a slope and getting the sensation that one of my skis were starting to lift. That sensation has happened many times before without me knowing, and resulted in several falls. But this time I noticed it, and quickly put weight on that leg to stabilize myself. That's how the Split Second feels. You only have a split second to ground yourself.
Imagine you're driving and someone cuts you off. You quickly go from neutral to angry. But right before that happens, there's a moment where you can direct your feelings back towards neutral. You can choose to let it go. You can choose to not be angry. Or you can choose to be angry, let it affect your driving, and increase your risk of getting into an accident.
I use the Split Second to prevent bad outcomes. It's not about avoiding emotions altogether, but choosing how they shape my actions. I've learned that I can steer myself toward better outcomes by redirecting emotions. It's not about perfection, I’ll still feel things like anger, annoyance, and fear. I won't always remember to acknowledge and redirect my feelings. But the Split Second gives me a choice to prevent my emotions from driving my actions.