Slowing down

I feel like I need time when working with my habitual responses. It is when I am rushed and feel pressured that I slip more easily. When I have time to see my reactions and actions, I am more likely to stop myself or reevaluate things. The problem is that our human interactions happen so fast that it's hard to slow down enough to catch my habitual responses rather than follow them. One method I use is to go quiet and internalize to try to work with the emotion rather than express it. I think this can be perceived as shutting down but it is my way of working with what is. Can I learn to work with what is without giving off the feeling of shutting down? I'm sure I can, I just need to learn it. Maybe verbalizing emotions rather than expressing or internalizing is better. Tell someone I am feeling sad or mad rather than getting quiet or acting pouty. I will try this.