What can I do in 90 seconds that will be useful for the rest of my life?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Think about the last time you were angry? If you’re like most, it probably went something like this…

That’s not right, how can they do that? You begin thinking about it. It makes you angry. You feel slighted, irritated and mad. Your heart rate rises, you begin feeling an impulse to yell or argue; you find yourself all wound up.

Here is what really happened.

1. You had a thought.
2. Your thought stimulated emotions.
3. Your body experiences a physiological response because of emotions.

You think, feel and experience.

How long does all of this take?

90 seconds.

What does this mean?

Whenever you react to anything in your environment, a chemical process occurs within your brain that lasts 90 seconds.

That’s it. 90 seconds.

When you are anxious, furious, scared; every emotion, it only lasts 90 seconds. After 90 seconds, any emotional response you feel is because you are choosing it.

When you’re stressed for hours. When you’re angry for days. When you’re sad for weeks.

All of it. Anything. It’s a choice.

The power of the 90 second rule

We can’t control our emotional brain. Stressful stimuli hits our amygdala, a little area responsible for detecting threats. Before we know it, our body is pumping out adrenaline and releasing all kinds of neurotransmitters in response to what we’ve just experienced.

And it lasts 90 seconds.

Here is where the cerebral cortex gets involved; the part of our brain responsible for logical thought and reasoning.

After 90 seconds, we have 2 choices.

Red pill; blue pill. Left or right.

We can swallow the blue pill and do what feels natural. Continue ruminating in our head; thinking angry thoughts. Triggering another 90 seconds. Jumping back on that hamster wheel.

Or, maybe. Just maybe, we can try the red pill.

The unpleasant truth. To do what feels unnatural. To sit with the emotions. To watch them. To be calm.

And when 90 seconds passes, to just move on. Refusing to spark the emotional tinder with another thought. Because eventually, something will catch fire; and before you know it, you’ve turned 90 seconds into days.

The 90 second rule in practice

Next time you’re overwhelmed, angry, upset; stop what you’re doing. Focus on your breathing; if you’re angry, try counting.

All it takes is 90 seconds.

Step back for 90 seconds.

Thoughts are the oxygen to keep your emotional loop burning. Without your thoughts, the fire you’re feeling will burn itself out – in 90 seconds.

Try it.

It might just change your life.