Have you ever been around a person who "pushes your buttons"? One who "triggers" such strong emotions in you that you can barely control your reaction to them? They make you angry, they make you say sarcastic things, or they make you yell at them. Afterward, when they're gone and you've calmed down, do you wonder what made you react so strongly, the way you did?
We all meet people like that. They're "triggers", because they "trigger" certain feelings and responses in us. We can recognize them by how intensely we react to them. We're sure it's something about them, and we can't understand why they have to be the way they are.
Next time you meet someone who makes you feel that way, ask yourself what's going on with you. What are you feeling, exactly? Did you ever feel that way before? What were the circumstances then? Try to identify the events that made you feel that way, and the people. Your answers might help you solve an important puzzle about yourself.
Do you know that you can diffuse the trigger if you can figure it out? You can! And your reward for doing so is great: the next time, you won't feel anything at all about that person. But you sure will feel good about yourself.
You see, it's not about them at all. It's about you! People who seem to know exactly what "buttons to push" usually don't know anything of the sort. They're your buttons, after all.
And our "buttons" are like our fear. The more you can name them, the more you can figure out how to stop being under their control. Think about it. If you can identify them, you can get free to move on. You might even feel grateful to the person for giving you the opportunity to learn some really important things about yourself.
And nobody but you will ever have to know there was anything going on at all.
