I love this quote by Don Miguel Ruiz - “The people who trigger us to feel negative emotion are messengers. They are messengers for the unhealed parts of our being.” In the last couple of weeks, I have had several opportunities to observe how mirrors can trigger people, including myself.
Think about a time when you read or heard something that resonated with you and your situation in life. For some, it could be a wake-up call. For others, it could trigger anger, sadness, or other similar emotions. Or perhaps you observed a person that triggered a strong emotion in you. What happens is we are looking in a mirror at ourselves, or possibly at how we used to be. When we are actively in the middle of the situation that is being presented, it can trigger those emotions. This is a sign we need to pay attention to. The emotion shows us that we are not healed in that area. There is work to do and wisdom to be gained.
On the other hand, when we read or hear about a situation that we have healed, we no longer have the emotional response because we have moved past it. It isn’t who we are anymore. We can view the situation as an observer because we have gained the wisdom.
In my new book, Sacred Soul Love, I share a lot of personal stories about myself. I also include a few stories of others I have witnessed in my life. This sharing has received mixed emotions from the people reading it. For the majority, it has resonated with them in a way that it is either a wake-up call or it gives them hope that the situation they may currently be in is not permanent. For a few though, it has triggered the emotional response of anger and sadness. The mirror is showing them something they may not want to look at.
What can we do when we are triggered? I choose to examine why I am being triggered to see what part of me the situation or person is showing me that is within myself. All I can do is heal myself where issues have been exposed, rather than trying to run away or hide from them.
When we have issues around people and situations in our lives that we try to put into the back of our minds, to stuff away, it is a clear sign that issue is something we need to heal in ourselves. Our natural tendency is to try to pretend it isn’t a problem or we don’t care about it, that it isn’t real. Pretending does not heal the problem. It can actually make it worse. It can fester in our bodies and minds, creating illness.
There is a particular Facebook post being shared among my network that says, “If you are trying not to think about it, it’s time to heal.” What does this mean in your life situations? What are you trying not to think about? What is ready to be healed?