How To Master Your Emotions in 90 Seconds & Save Yourself From Regret

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0:54This episode of On Purpose is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. I believe that travel is one of the greatest gifts that we've ever been given and Chase Sapphire Reserve has been my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card I get 8 times the points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one-of-a-kind experiences experiences like music festivals and sporting events and that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide Travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve.

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2:20Subject to change. Let's be honest. Life is stressful It's work, it's relationships and the state of the world But there's a way to bring that stress level down Calm It's the number one app for mental wellness with tons of content to manage anxiety promote concentration and help you unwind There's music, meditation and more Calm makes it easy to de-stress You can literally do a one minute breathing exercise Personally, I love the soundscapes Nothing like a little rain on leaves to help soothe my nervous system. I've actually been working with Calm for a couple of years now and I'd love for you to check out my series on reducing overwhelm.

3:02Eight short practices, quick relief. Right now, listeners of On Purpose get 40 % off a subscription to Calm Premium at calm.com forward slash j. That's C-A-L-M dot com forward slash J-A-Y for 40 % off. Calm your mind, change your life. 90 seconds could be the difference between saying what you mean or saying something mean. 90 seconds could be the difference between losing someone you love or showing someone how you want to love them. 90 seconds could be the difference in what the next nine weeks or nine months may look like. 90 seconds of sitting with the emotions in your body, allowing them to settle, will actually give you an awareness of what you're actually experiencing.

3:59The number one health and wellness podcast. Jay Shetty. Jay Shetty. The one, the only Jay Shetty. Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose, the place you come to become happier, healthier and more healed. My name is Jay Shetty and I'm so thankful to be back with you. Now, I recorded this theme for an episode of my daily Jay on Calm. If you're not using Calm to find balance, to find meaning, to meditate and practice mindfulness daily, definitely check it out. And it inspired a longer episode over here. So there's a quote that I absolutely love from Viktor Frankl, the groundbreaking psychologist and Holocaust survivor.

4:47And the quote goes like this, between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Let me say that again. Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Now, we've heard this principle probably a few times before. The idea that it's not about what happens to you, it's about how you respond. It's not about what's going on around you, it's what you're able to do with it. It's not about what the world throws at you, but what you decide to do with it.

5:43And if you think about it, if someone throws something at you, you have a choice. You can catch it and almost make it a part of yourself. You can dodge it and allow it to flow past you. Or you can catch it and throw it back to try and create pain on the other person's behalf as well. we always have a choice but what happens is that as time goes on as we get busier as we reflect less as we focus less on why these things happen what's happening around us and as we just feel more overwhelmed we lose the ability to choose our response and when we lose the ability to choose our response, we potentially lose our ability to, according to Viktor Frankl, have growth and freedom, two things that I think are extremely important.

6:41Now, in the Daily J episode, I talked about an experience I had where I was driving home, it was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and I was playing some awesome music. And then all of a sudden, a car came out in front of me truly just cut me off by surprise like I was really scared that we were about to have an accident I braked really really hard I could feel some anger because it was so like I can't tell you how close it was and I really really felt like it was you know seconds apart tiniest space from leading to a big accident which not only would have affected me but would have affected them as well.

7:20And I'm sure you've had this experience, right? I'm sure you've had this experience where someone cuts you off, something happens, maybe in traffic, you get really, really angry and you're feeling this tension, you're feeling this stress, and you might even want to, you know, like get out and talk to the driver. Some of you may get really angry and maybe you've felt this before and maybe you've acted on it. Now, I didn't act on it that day, but maybe you've acted on it. And I find that maybe you've acted on it. Maybe you've said something you didn't mean. Maybe you've made a comment that you didn't want to say.

7:59Maybe it was with your partner. Maybe it was with your child, right? Maybe your child was just annoying you and you said something that you wished you didn't say. And then after that, you regret it. You feel bad about it. It's not how you wanted to act. It's not what you wanted to do. But how do we stop that from happening? How many times have you had it where you got angry, passionate, aggressive, and said something you didn't want to or did something you didn't want to because of the heat of the moment, because of the emotion you were feeling? And the emotion felt real in the moment, and it was.

8:34But you acted on it, and now you look back and think, I wish I never said that. I wish I never did that. Maybe some of you have this voice in your head before you go to bed saying, could have done that better, right? It could have been better. Now, neuroanatomist Jill Bolte-Taylor describes something she calls responsibility, meaning we largely have the ability to choose how we respond to what's happening in the outside world. And she says it helped her understand something called the 90-second rule. Now, I love this. And this is what this episode is about, this 90 second rule. Now, when I was driving and my brain sensed danger, my body released adrenaline, which is designed to help me focus and get ready for action.

9:24That's how I was able to avoid an accident. But after I took action, I still felt agitated because my emotions were triggered along with my survival instincts. and all the chemicals associated with those emotions take about 90 seconds to dissipate. As long as I didn't feed the emotion, if I stopped myself from amping it up further, then the chemicals would die down. On the other hand, if I'd started yelling and screaming, my brain would have released more anger signals and the feeling would have continued. So what changed for me is I took some deep breaths and allowed the chemicals and the feeling to pass, right?

10:07Now, as I dive into this topic, I want to be really clear. This isn't about avoiding emotions. This is about subverting those knee-jerk responses that don't represent the person we want to be. When we say or do things, we later regret. This is about buying time so we can be more conscious and intentional so that the action we do take aligns with our values and beliefs. So here's how I want you to think about it. What we're trying to do in this moment is we're trying to buy ourselves time so that we don't go and create more pain, so that we don't go and create more stress, right? If you catch something that someone throws at you and throw it back at them, it continues the cycle.

10:52If you catch it and make it a part of you, it continues the cycle. If you dodge it, you allow it to go past you, although it does have an impact on you. So how do we do that in a real life situation? Three deep breaths take about 10 seconds. So in 90 seconds, we can take 27 deep breaths. This is a great number to count up to, to put it in your mind's eye, count to 27 as you breathe in and breathe out. This 90 second rule allows you to understand that chemically, if you allow this to pass in 90 seconds, you have the ability now to truly choose how you respond. It's almost like for 90 seconds, you're controlled, you're influenced, you're going to act in a way that may not be you, that may not be aligned with who you are or what you prioritize or what you believe to be valuable.

11:50It's just 90 seconds. And so many of us give away amazing relationships, break or blemish partnerships, friendships, whatever it may be, because we don't want to wait 90 seconds. That's how I want you to think about it. 90 seconds could be the difference between finding a solution and losing a friendship. 90 seconds could be the difference between saying what you mean or saying something mean. 90 seconds could be the difference between losing someone you love or showing someone how you want to love them. 90 seconds could be the difference in what the next nine weeks or nine months may look like.

12:4090 seconds of sitting with the emotions in your body, allowing them to settle, will actually give you an awareness of what you're actually experiencing. You may find that what was first anger is actually disappointment. You may find that what was first frustration is actually now angst. You may find that was once quite aggressive is actually a still and calm emotion. And when we're able to master those 90 seconds, we can actually cope better with surprises. Now, listen to this. If you prepare, next time you hear a surprise, something comes along and shocks you, let it settle for 90 seconds. Because chances are, your initial response won't be helpful.

13:29Now, this is different in a fight or flight situation, right? In the car accident situation, I'm happy that this kicked in and that I didn't have time for 90 seconds to think through this. Similarly, in a place of physical danger, it's great to avoid this. But when it comes to more mental, emotional challenges, this can save us a lot of headaches. 90 seconds could save you from ruining the next nine weeks or nine months of your life. 90 seconds could save you from ruining one of your best relationships. 90 seconds could protect you from reacting in a way that isn't aligned with who you are and who you want to be.

14:17Now, here's the way I want you to think about how to actually put the 90 second rule into practice. The first thing is set a timer. When you're going through something like this, set a timer and watch that countdown. It's almost like doing a plank. If you've ever done plank position in a workout and you know you've got 60 seconds, 90 seconds to do it and you're just waiting there. You might be in pain. You might be sucking in your core and then trying to loosen it. You might be trying to cheat a little bit on the sides, but you're sticking it out for those 90 seconds. Treat it that way. Turn on a timer.

14:55Have a 90-second timer ready to go so that you know you're allowing the chemicals to go down naturally. Because chances are, in those first 90 seconds, you call someone up, you tell them how it's going, you now exacerbate it, right? You start texting someone frantically, you now exacerbate it. So we're constantly extending our overwhelm. We're constantly extending our anxiety, extending our stress, advancing our pain, when actually, we could deal with it in a much more healthy way. Okay, I'm going to assume that everybody messages their friends. I'm also going to assume you've run into some issues when messaging, especially during group chats.

15:38I know I have. One time I sent a message way too fast, full of typos, and everyone had to guess what I was even trying to say. WhatsApp can help. First, you can message privately with everyone, even if you're all using totally different phones. It just works. Sent a message too fast and instantly you regretted it? No problem, just edit it. And when the chat gets a little too intense, you can switch to a group video call and actually talk it out. Photos and videos come through super clear and messages get delivered without weird gaps or delays. Plus, WhatsApp has so many great features like polls, pinned messages, and even event invites with RSVPs so planning stuff doesn't just turn into a mess.

16:23I mean, it just makes a lot of sense. It's time for WhatsApp. Message privately with everyone. This is Jay Shetty from On Purpose. And if you've ever felt like you've lost touch with yourself, try changing your surroundings, even for just a few days. Delta recently invited four creators to do just that. Two trips, one question. What if travel isn't movement, but recharging in motion. In Seattle, they focused on routine and self-care, gym time, grounding walks, and meditation. In Copenhagen, they let go, biking, saunas, and embracing the moment. And what surprised them most? Their usual stress faded.

17:06They felt clearer, calmer, more connected. And Oura Ring data backed it up. Based on their Oura Ring sleep scores, everyone met the day feeling more rested and their bodies moved more without even trying. Travel gave them space to practice self-care and not restriction, but balance. And the best part? That sense of well-being didn't end when they got home. With Delta, fly and live better. Explore the whole journey on Delta's YouTube channel. Having the right people in your corner to support you is a great form of self-care. Just like the friend who shows up to a housewarming party when you get that dream home, celebrates your big promotion, or goes with you on a walk to clear your mind, State Farm is there to help you feel supported.

17:55They have different coverage options, whether it be for your home, car, motorcycle, boat, or even RV. With a State Farm agent, you know someone is there to help protect what's important. And with so many coverage options, it's nice knowing you have help finding what fits for you. So you can continue to celebrate all of life's biggest milestones. Go online at statefarm.com or use the award-winning app to get help from one of their local agents. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. The next thing is take a moment to do what I call an internal weather report. Right? Where is it feeling cloudy?

18:37where is it feeling rainy? Remember, we're not avoiding our emotions. We're feeling them. We're letting them be there. We're just not acting on them. That's the difference, right? We're just not reacting. We're allowing time to go past so that we can respond. If you act straight after experiencing something, that is a reaction to what happened. If you allow the 90 seconds to pass, you now received it and now you're responding. I think another great tool is to check in with your body. It's asking yourself, what's going on in my body right now? What am I thinking about? How am I feeling? You're almost learning to observe your body and mind.

19:26This also allows us to not make it personal. Often the reason why we react so frantically, aggressively, passionately is because we take everything very personally. These 90 seconds allow for you to not make it personal and just observe yourself experiencing these emotions. And especially notice the physical and mental emotions you experience. A lot of us don't realize when we pretend like we're not experiencing anything, it actually gets stored in the body. and we don't want that to happen. We don't want stress to get stored in the body. I've already mentioned inhaling and exhaling can actively relax tense areas of the body and mind, and this is probably one of my favorite ways.

20:19Noticing and naming the emotion is a really important thing. I found that being able to label how you feel, especially things that come about more often than others is a really healthy way. Like, for example, I know that before I go on stage, I often feel nervous, but I call that my stage nervousness. I know that that's my anxiety that I'm experiencing because I care about what's happening. So I've labeled it care anxiety, anxiety for when I care. People always ask me, Jay, do you still get nervous before you go on stage? And I say, yes, always, because I care. I get nervous when I care. So when I get nervous now.

20:59I know it means I care and I've labeled it that way. And that way I know that I'm safe because I care about what I'm doing. I believe in what I'm doing. And that's a beautiful thing for me to remember. It's the same feeling, but the labeling has helped me understand it differently. And I want you to think about how you can label your emotions differently as well. Now, notice how these 90 seconds require a lot of stillness. If you're driving fast, you can't spot anything on the road. You may miss a sign. You may miss the animals in the field. You may miss a billboard. When you're driving fast, you miss everything.

21:39When we're moving fast, when we stay busy, when we ignore these 90 seconds, we keep moving fast, you will miss so many signals from your body. Every day we miss so many signals from our body. Every day we miss so many signals from our mind. Because every day our body and mind is trying to protect us, trying to help us, and trying to encourage us to learn. But we miss out on all of that because we're moving fast, because we're moving at a pace where we believe we can't slow down. And for this 90 seconds, when you choose to just slow down for 90 seconds, you stop yourself reacting from a fast car.

22:31And instead, you learn to respond in slow motion. It's almost like when you're in slow motion, you can actually see things for what they are, right? If you're driving slowly, you can see what's in the distance. You can see what's in the foreground. You can make out the distance between things. Just slow down for 90 seconds before you react or respond. Maybe get a message and it triggers you. You get an email and it makes you feel nervous and anxious. Instead of responding immediately, instead of reacting, instead of taking a screenshot and sending it to someone and reacting to it, take 90 seconds.

23:15That's all you need to do. Take 90 seconds and let it slowly dissipate organically. Now, some emotions are different than others. I saw a study on the Mail Online that said sadness lasts 240 times longer than other emotions. In this reset study that I read on the Mail Online, researchers surveyed 233 young adults from a Belgian high school with an average age of 17 and found emotions vary widely in duration. They said of the 27 emotions studied, sadness lasted the longest, whereas shame, surprise, fear, disgust, boredom, feeling touched, irritation, and relief were the shortest duration emotions.

24:07Emotions that lasted longer were associated with more important event triggers, as well as more reflection about the feelings and the consequences of the event that prompted the emotion. Now, why am I sharing this. I'm sharing this because I realized this a while ago. When something bad happens, we cry for a month. When something good happens, we celebrate for a night. Remember to share your wins as much as you share your losses. If something goes bad, you're likely to tell 10 people. If something goes well, you might tell one. There's a reason why we submerge ourself in sadness more than we immerse ourself in greatness.

24:54It's because we've practiced over and over and over again to dive deep into our pain and swim shallow in our pleasure. We actually swim shallow when it comes to amazing experiences. Maybe you'll post on social media. Maybe you'll share one line. You have a very shallow experience with the good things in your life and a very deep experience with the bad things in your life. Try to take a moment to acknowledge today the good that you've done. I'm sure it was so easy at the end of the day to judge yourself, to shame yourself, and to guilt yourself at the end of the day. I'm sure it was so easy to make yourself feel bad.

25:42I wish I did that better. I could have done that better. I made a mistake on that. I should have been smarter. I should have been faster. I should have been quicker. Why didn't I know that? Right? This is how we talk to ourselves. We're so good at making ourselves feel bad, but making yourself feel bad will never lead to you doing good. Let me say that again. We're so good at making ourselves feel bad, but making ourselves feel bad will never create good in our lives. We repeat what we reward. We repeat what we reward. If we reward ourselves for good action at the end of the day, will repeat it.

26:29If you recognize that today you made it to 45 seconds before responding, you'll repeat that. You're moving in the right direction. But if you make it all about the mistakes you made today and how you're so far behind, guess what? You'll repeat that because we become familiar with that emotion. We become familiar with that action. So what I want you to do when you're having a tough conversation, tell your partner, hey, let's just take a 90 second break. If you receive an email from your boss and you're struggling how to respond, take a 90 second break. If you woke up in the morning and you're feeling a certain way, give yourself a 90 second break.

27:14A 90 second break could be the difference between you breaking and responding with ease. That's literally all it will take. And I really, really hope that you'll try out the 90-second rule. I want you to reflect on how you normally respond to a stimulus that stirs up challenging emotions. Do you usually just rush into a reaction? Do you allow those emotions to build? What could you do to create more space so you can respond with intention? I think this will make a huge difference in your life, will make a huge impact on what's possible, and it will save you from so much stress and pain. Remember, I'm forever in your corner and always rooting for you.

28:07If you loved this episode, you're going to love my conversation with Matthew Hussey on how to get over your ex and find true love in your relationships. People should be compassionate to themselves, but extend that compassion to your future self because truly extending your compassion to your future self is doing something that gives him or her a shot at a happy and a peaceful life. This episode of On Purpose is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. I believe that travel is one of the greatest gifts that we've ever been given and Chase Sapphire Reserve has been my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations.

28:46When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card I get eight times the points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel, and even access to one-of-a-kind experiences, experiences like music festivals and sporting events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. Travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Trust me. Discover more at chase.com forward slash sapphire reserve. Cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Terms apply. This is Jay Shetty from On Purpose. If you've ever felt off balance, sometimes a change of scenery is the best reset.

29:33Delta invited four creators to explore one idea. What if travel isn't just movement, but recharging in motion? And the results? Based on their Aura Ring sleep scores, everyone met the day feeling more rested and a sense of clarity stayed long after the trip. With Delta, fly and live better. Explore the whole journey on Delta's YouTube channel. Lately, I've been trying to be more intentional even with small decisions like cooking at home instead of ordering out. It's simple, but it helps me save for things that truly matter. That's why I love the State Farm Personal Price Plan. It lets you bundle home and auto insurance to create an affordable price that fits your needs.