Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

EMOTIONAL SELF-CONTROL TOOLS AND STRATEGIES 105
7. IDENTIFYING TRIGGERS
Another exercise that can help with Self-Awareness and Emotional
Self-Control is to identify your main triggers. A trigger is
something that gets you upset, irritated, or impatient. Make a list
of your main triggers that could get your amygdala aroused. Triggers
usually are things that others do that irritate you and, less
frequently, can be something about yourself. Another way to look at
it is to ask, “What are the things that not only irritate me but also
drain my mental capacity?”
Some examples include the following:
• People interrupting you
• Someone not honoring your values
• People who seem incompetent
• Someone who talks too much
• People being angry or irritated with you
• Rude people
• Lateness
• Clutter
• People who are arrogant or who seem to think they are “the
smartest person in the room”
• Too much noise
QUESTIONS AND ACTION APPLICATIONS
• What are your top triggers?
• Which ones are most frequent for you?
• Which ones are most intense for you?
• Which ones do you have the least patience for?
• Which trigger drains you the most?