The Patriots lost a heartbreaker on Sunday night.  Superbowl aspirations were dashed,  and emotions ran high.  And, in the aftermath, Gisele backhandedly lashed out against her beloved Tom’s, team-mates, saying, ‘he can’t throw the [@#%#@] ball and catch the ball all at the same time.”  She went on to share her disappointment about how many times the receivers dropped the ball.  Didn’t we all say that?  “Yes, but not to the press”, you say.  But if the press were in our face, would we not have?

Does the fact that she said it make her a bad person?  Of course not.  It makes her human.  Have you ever been emotionally highjacked and found something coming out of your mouth that you didn’t intend to say or even mean?  That you were sorry for as soon as you heard yourself say it? Sure you have, we all have.  It’s a stress response.

We are a balance of logic and emotion.  We need both to navigate the world.  When we are being overly logical, we sometimes neglect to take into account the personal impact of our actions.  When we are highly emotional, it is impossible for us to think rationally.  Both aspects are critical to self control, good decision making and relationship building.

To avoid the repercussions of such accidental outbursts, it is best not to respond to situations when you are feeling highly emotional but to step away for at least a few moments, take a deep breath and get yourself back on an even keel.

Begin to pay attention to the physical cues in your body that are signals that your emotions are taking over.  Take a break from the conversation or a breath and CHOOSE your response thoughtfully and carefully.