[dwaltrip]

My initial reaction to the idea that emotions can distract one from making progress is that there may be unaddressed issues present. Emotions are bodily signals. You could say they are the result of information processing. They don’t come from nowhere. Emotions need to be processed and responded to.

Maybe we can find common ground with the idea that some emotional issues take a long time to resolve, and, in the meantime, one needs healthy coping tools which may include different ways of soothing / calming down the emotional response when one needs to be functional.

[Disruptive_Dave]

Not OP, but I would hope the original comment was intended to imply that emotions should be _responded_ to (as you noted) and not _reacted_ to. Responding involves understanding, "naming your enemy," and contextual consideration. Reacting is thoughtless, immediate, animalistic.

[wintermutestwin]

Great answer! I'll post some notes I have on responding vs reacting:

Reactions limit choices. Responses give choices.

Reactions are unconscious, automatic, and based on negative emotions which stem from unmet needs. Responses are conscious, considered, and based upon the actual needs underlying the negative emotions.

Reactions often move us further away from getting our needs met. Responses usually move us towards getting our needs met.

[marcusestes]

You say thoughtless, immediate, and animalistic as if it’s a bad thing;)

Sometimes it’s exactly the right strategy for decision making and almost always for creativity and play.

[browningstreet]

Look into “somatic psychotherapy”: healing the mind through the body

[throwaway98797]

Maybe this example is helpful.

I had a rock hit my car’s bumper on the highway. I could have allowed myself to feel pity or sadness. Instead i skipped the emotion of the event and said what can i do now?

Accept that my car does not look the way I want it to.

Find solution, which in this case was filling an insurance claim. As problems develop i hope to accept them as fact and not dwell on what I hope the world would be. ie., never getting hit in the first place or having my claim denied, having poor repair etc., whatever comes i want to accept as the true state without emotion and move onto productive measures that are within my means.