Do You Know What Triggers You?

Do you ever wonder why you're able to get along so well with some people, while others send you up the wall? Why is it that one of your children seems to make parenting seem easy, while the other child seems to be a constant challenge in your life? Do you ever wonder why at one moment you so adore your partner, and the next moment you're questioning why you ever got into the relationship? Let's take a closer look at what causes these triggers in our lives.

The people, things, and ideas in the world that we have a strong reaction to, that we reject, hate or judge, represent parts of ourselves that we have disowned or rejected. Sigmund Freud referred to this as the repressed side of us and Carl Jung called this our shadow side. In any case, many in the field of psychology or personal growth arena look at these "button pushers" as our teachers, bringing us gifts. The gifts are the opportunity to learn more about ourselves, increase our self-awareness597 and become more balanced and at peace in our present lives and in the world.

Think of all of the people who upset you or "push your buttons". Do they have similar traits or aspects to their personalities or do they fall within a few categories like selfish or self-centered or perhaps know-it-alls or whiners or super achievers? Could this be because you've never allowed yourself to be selfish? Has you role always been to be selfless? Have you lacked the ability to express what you know with confidence and self-assurance? Have you received the message that it's never okay for you to whine? Have you not been able to become that superachiever you've always wanted to be?

As long as a trait or aspect of ourselves is denied or disowned, we will continue to attract people into our lives that carry that trait and "push our buttons"...if not a partner, child or friend it might be your boss, subordinate or the waiter at your favorite restaurant. Once we embrace a disowned part, or at the very least, learn to accept that part within ourselves, it will no longer wield the same power over us, triggering us the way it once did.

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