Emotional Hot Spots:

We feel some emotion about everything that happens. When we feel strong emotions when certain things are going on in our physical world, those physical things or activities can become linked with our strong feelings. They act as "triggers" for some of our strongest emotions - including some feelings which are bottled up and explosive. These are "emotional hot spots." 

What are your emotional hot spots? Knowing this can not only help you take better care of your self and others, it allows you to communicate these things to a partner, giving them the information they need to tread gently. Consider your answers to the following questions: 

  • Which feeling do you resist more than any other feeling?

  • Which things bring up the strongest emotional reaction in each of these areas:
Fear.
Loyalty.
Hate.
Rage.
Joy.
Despair.
Anger.

  • Which emotion are you the most familiar experiencing? 

  • Which feeling feels the most out of control when it shows up?

  • Which emotion will you do anything to avoid?

  • What experience have you promised yourself you will NEVER expose yourself to again?

  • What are three things someone can do to bring out the worst in you?

  • What mistakes do you judge yourself the harshest for in life?

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