Like any good organization with interesting and diverse people, Floricane is full of unique idioms, phrases and lingo. When I was recently asked to choose, I had to say my favorite Floricanism is “hijacked.”
I’ve seen it used to describe distraction.
Ex: “Yeah, Carlee, I was paying attention to you until I was hijacked by ::insert any of my favorite Nashville phrases such as ‘Bless your heart’ or ‘Boy Howdy’::”
I’ve seen it used it to describe being emotionally overtaken.
Ex: You’re driving down the road when another driver so rudely cuts you off. Immediately you go into a blind rage or perhaps you use other types of exclamatory remarks ::not among my favorite Nashville phrases::. This can be an emotional hijacking of sorts.
There are many opportunities when our thoughts, feelings, and focus can be hijacked from our control.
Now, forgive me as I hijack the conversation to discuss a recent International Coach Federation’s program on The Power of Choice. The discussion was about the power of emotional intelligence and how we make choices. The particular focus was on those moments of crisis or conflict when we feel before we think. We are vulnerable to emotional hijacking (apparently it’s not just a Floricane phrase) and when it happens, we say or do things that negatively affect those around us. We can lose control and fail to think before we respond. At The Power of Choice program, we were challenged to think about what could happen if we stop, take a breath, and intentionally choose our response in those moments.
When we do this, we choose to pause and respond constructively instead of being emotionally hijacked.
If you’re able to pause in a moment of high stress, then you can take the time to discover the most effective response. Does your response align with who you truly are, with your values or with how you want the world to receive you?
Do I get emotionally hijacked? Of course. However, it’s incredibly empowering to remember that, ultimately, I do have a choice, and I’m able to choose to react in line with who I know I truly am.