The real Awakening with Meditation - Triggers: The Teachers You Didn’t Know You Needed

 I’ve met many people who describe themselves as loving, empathetic, and deeply understanding. They carry these qualities proudly, believing them to be the hallmarks of their personality. And yet, these same people often share something else—they feel emotionally drained, hurt, or offended by certain situations or people. If this sounds familiar, there’s a deeper truth here waiting for you: the problem isn’t the outside world. It’s your triggers.

What Are Triggers?

Triggers are emotional reactions that light up when something or someone pokes at your unresolved wounds. They’re the moments you feel slighted, angry, or drained, even when you’re trying to stay positive. And no matter how much love or empathy you pour into the world, those triggers don’t go away on their own.

Why Do Triggers Matter?

Think of your triggers as life’s way of holding up a mirror. They’re not punishments; they’re lessons. Every time you get offended, angry, or overwhelmed, it’s a signal. It’s not about what the other person did—it’s about what you need to learn.

Joe Dispenza often talks about how our thoughts and emotions shape our reality. When you let triggers dictate your responses, you’re stuck in a cycle of survival—reacting instead of creating. And if you’re stuck, you’re not moving forward. You’re dragging those unresolved emotions into every future interaction, limiting your growth.

Observation Over Reaction

The first step to breaking free from triggers isn’t love, affirmations, or forgiveness. It’s observation.

For the next week or two, make it your mission to watch yourself. Don’t fix, don’t force positivity—just observe.

• What makes you feel angry?
• What offends you?
• What drains your energy?
• What makes you want to lash out or retreat?

Write it down. Keep track of the patterns. The people, the words, the situations that trigger you are clues to where you need healing.

Respond, Don’t React

Triggers are powerful because they pull you into a reactive state. Someone says something hurtful, and before you know it, you’re snapping back or internalizing the pain. But there’s another way: respond, don’t react.

To respond is to pause, breathe, and acknowledge the trigger without letting it control you. It’s about choosing your reaction consciously rather than being a puppet to your emotions.

This doesn’t mean suppressing your feelings—it means facing them with awareness. When you respond instead of react, you’re stepping into your power.

What Lies Beyond the Trigger?

Here’s the hard truth: no matter how loving or empathetic you are, you cannot fully embody those qualities until you’ve pushed past your triggers. That anger, frustration, or annoyance you feel? It’s not the other person’s fault. It’s a part of you that hasn’t been healed.

When you stop reacting and start observing, you’ll uncover something startling: your triggers aren’t there to harm you. They’re there to show you where you’re still holding on to pain, resentment, or fear. And when you finally let them go, you’ll feel lighter, freer, and more aligned with the love and empathy you want to embody.

A Challenge for You

For the next two weeks, let your triggers be your teachers. When someone irritates you or a situation feels unbearable, pause. Don’t suppress your emotions, but don’t let them control you either. Observe them. What’s the story you’re telling yourself in that moment? Where does the pain come from?

This exercise isn’t easy. You’ll feel uncomfortable. You’ll want to react. But if you can stay present, you’ll start to see the patterns holding you back. And once you see them, you can begin to change them.

The Power of Pushing Past

Joe Dispenza says, “Your personality creates your personal reality.” If your personality is shaped by triggers, pain, and unresolved wounds, your reality will reflect that back to you. But when you step beyond your triggers—when you respond instead of react—you start creating a new reality.

You don’t need to be love all the time. You don’t need to force affirmations when you’re feeling hurt. Just observe. Heal. And watch how your life begins to transform.

Because once you push past the anger, annoyance, or fear, you’ll find something waiting for you: the true, unshakable power of being you.