Follow some mindfulness meditation in order to create the needed “space” between stimulus and reaction, in which to actually choose your response:
• Mindfulness meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn who invented MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction). Participants of MBSR haven been the subjects of many of the quoted studies about mindfulness changing the brain. And also about mindfulness changing the character. This link here seems open for sharing. If not, I apologize.
D. Siegel; Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology. Dig deep: What do different sciences have to say about the mind and its relationship to the brain or to influencing social factors? What can neuroscience show? //
J.K. Rowling;
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the examples from the tale