Respond don't react!

Don't do something permanently stupid just because you're temporarily upset.  Unknown

When we get upset we can act irrationally.  Sometimes what we do isn't temporary but can have a permanent outcome.  Our actions are not contained just to ourselves, they are like dominoes and as we do something it falls into another action and off it goes from there.  To think that what we do, or say, affects only us is a very narrow and selfish viewpoint to have.  Our actions affect others, whether we see that or not.  When angry, frustrated, jealous, insecure, etc focus on responding rather than reacting.  Reacting generally leads to something that would fall in the category of "permanently stupid", responding is the evidence of self-control because a response always comes out of thinking before speaking or doing.  Take a moment to get outside of yourself and see the bigger picture.  When we allow our emotions to control us then we are out of control and act irrationally.  When we control our emotions we make logical and thoughtful decisions.
How would you like to be known? As a knee-jerker (reaction) or as a responder?