Triggers set our emotional world on fire
The stories we weave in our mind become so vivid and rich, even colorful and persuasive sometimes, that we believe our own creative narratives, and we drive ourselves crazy with worry, anxiety, or anger.
In The Path is Everywhere: Uncovering the jewels hidden within you, Matt Licata, PhD, gives an accurate description of what we experience when we are triggered: our emotional world is set on fire. We sense the tsunami of feelings everywhere. We may experience overwhelm. We lose logical perspective so it becomes increasingly difficult to reason things out. We can react in ways that we may regret later.
While very challenging, as an act of self-love, we need to pause, slow down and come back to grounding ourselves in our body, in the here and now.
Our mind will pull us back to looping thoughts, but riding the wave of intensity is the wiser path. Self-awareness is our anchor, and it will remind us that the emotional surge is temporary, and we can come back to balance if we give ourselves enough time.
Remember that your past, your attachments, your perceptions created a lens through which you have learned to look at yourself, others, and the world. And it has become a pattern in your life.
Dive into what lies under your history, and you may be surprised to find so much energy and information waiting to be explored.
You may soon discover that the triggers that you look upon as enemies coming from the external world, enemies that have to be avoided or shifted, transformed or healed, are in fact messages coming from within with priceless data of what you really need to feel authentic intimacy, freedom and aliveness.
Allow yourself to bring curiosity and warmth to your inner experience so you can hear that internal voice that you have silenced for so long.
Ask yourself: Why is this person/ event/ triggering me right now? What am I projecting from my past on to others? What do I really need in this moment? Is it connection, acceptance, being seen and listened to? Is it appreciation? Is it respect? Is it that I need to set a boundary? What did I need in my past that I never got and has been haunting me since then?
When you have found out what you need, do not keep it to yourself unexpressed. Instead, communicate what you want. Ask for it. Become your untiring, true advocate.
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