There's a moment most of us know well.
Something difficult lands in your lap — a conflict, a decision you've been avoiding, a situation you didn't ask for. And before you've even thought it through, something in you is already looking for the exit.
That's not a weakness. That's just the cow in you doing its job.
In nature, when a storm rolls in, cows run. They turn their backs, find shelter, and huddle together— instinctively trying to escape the discomfort. The problem? Running with the storm keeps them inside it longer. The very behaviour meant to protect them prolongs their suffering.
Bison behave differently. They turn toward the storm and walk into it. Counterintuitive, even uncomfortable — but they come out the other side faster.
Your mind has both of these animals inside it. So does mine.
I know my cow moments well. A problem shows up, and instead of sitting with it, I pick up my phone and start scrolling. Reel after reel, post after post — not because I'm enjoying it, but because it's easier than facing whatever is sitting in my chest. I know, even as I'm doing it, that it isn't helping. The problem persists when I put the phone down. It hasn't moved an inch. I've just spent an hour pretending it has.
But I also know what the bison moments feel like.
There are days I call someone I trust and say it out loud — this is what's bothering me. Or I open my journal and let it spill onto the page, without trying to make it sound neat or figured out. And almost every single time, something shifts. Not because the problem magically disappears, but because I've stopped running from it. I'm finally standing in it, looking at it, instead of feeling it chase me from behind.
That's the real difference between the two mindsets. Doom scrolling, distraction, avoidance — they all feel like relief in the moment. But they're cow behaviour. You're just turning your back and hoping the storm passes quietly. Sharing your problem, writing it down, sitting with it even when it's uncomfortable — that's the bison walking forward. It doesn't feel easier in the moment. But it's the only thing that actually gets you through.
The cow part of us is loud, convincing, and genuinely well-meaning. This isn't worth the energy. Scroll instead. Let it pass—avoidance dressed up as self-care. And sometimes — yes — letting something go is the right call.
But some storms don't pass on their own. Problems that grow in the silence of a phone screen. Patterns that repeat because we never walked through them the first time.
The bison path isn't about being fearless. It's about being willing — willing to face what's uncomfortable, to act before you feel ready, to fail sometimes and stay in it anyway. Each time you choose that — a conversation instead of a scroll, a journal entry instead of a distraction — something shifts. The fear gets a little smaller. The capacity gets a little bigger.
This is how a bison mindset is trained, not through one dramatic act of courage, but through the quiet, repeated decision to stop turning your back.
The storm is coming either way. The only question is which direction you'll face.
Try This Journaling Prompt
Before you close this tab, take 10 minutes and answer this honestly:
What storm are you currently running from? What would it look like to turn around and walk toward it — even just one small step?
Write without editing. Write without judgment. Just let it out on the page.
You might be surprised by what you find when you stop running.
Ready to Make This a Daily Practice?
If this prompt stirred something in you, the Mind Dump Method was written exactly for moments like this.
It's a simple 10-minute journaling practice that helps you clear mental clutter, stop overthinking, and start seeing your situations with more clarity — so you can respond like a bison, not react like a cow.
Grab your copy here:
If you'd rather listen 🎧
This blog is also available as a podcast episode on Spotify.
Sometimes the same words land differently when you hear them.
Put your earphones in, find a quiet corner, and listen to 🎙️ Unveil with Richa
Let's Talk
Are you the cow or the bison right now?
If you're facing a storm and don't know which way to turn, I'd love to hear your story. Share what you're going through. Sometimes just saying it out loud is the first step toward facing it.
You don't have to walk through the storm alone