The Day Reactivity Feels Lighter

There was a time when every walk felt like bracing for impact.

The moment another dog appeared in the distance, the leash tightened, your heart raced, and you could feel your dog shift before they even saw it. It felt inevitable—the barking, the lunging, the frustration that followed.

You told yourself to stay calm, but deep down, you wondered if this would ever change.

But then there was that one time.

The time they saw the dog but didn’t explode. Maybe their ears perked, maybe they stiffened, but they looked at you—just for a second.

It felt small, but it wasn’t.

That glance? It mattered.

Reactivity doesn’t disappear overnight. It fades in layers. Sometimes it feels like progress, and sometimes it doesn’t. But those moments—the pauses, the times they choose you over the trigger—they stack up quietly.

And one day, you realize you’re holding the leash a little looser.

It’s not perfect. Some days, the barking returns. But now, the space between reactions feels longer.

So you keep walking. You keep marking the calm, even if it lasts for only a few seconds.

Because each moment they choose stillness over barking, you’re both learning how to breathe again.

And while the process may not be linear, one day, reactivity feels lighter.