EPISODE 42 — Learning to Respond, Not React | Steadying Your Triggers After a Heart Attack

 I've always known how to stay calm under pressure — behind a bar on a chaotic night, running a kitchen where every second counted. But it took a heart attack to teach me to use that same skill on myself. 

This episode is about the gap between reacting and responding. A recent moment at work where I snapped instead of pausing. The early days of recovery, catching myself overexerting and having to consciously bring my mind back. And the simple thing that actually works now — bite the lip, take a breath, walk away. 

Responding instead of reacting isn't about never feeling the trigger. It's what you do in the few seconds after. 

🔗 Free 7-Day Mind Reset Plan:
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This is Stronger After the Storm. I'm Dougie — a Scottish Borders forestry contractor who had a heart attack at 50, and I'm here to be the man a few steps further down the road that I wish I'd met when I first got home. 

💻 Visit StrongerAfterTheStorm.com — the home of the podcast and weekly Reflection Letters.  
📩 Each week I write an honest letter for men rebuilding life after a heart attack. You can sign up on the site.  
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🤝 And if you know someone going through the same storm, share this with him. It might be just what he needs today.