Watching Glenn Beck on the Bill O’Reilly show talk about one of his callers …. I think the discussion was about the Health Care bill that is trying to make it through the US House and Senate. 

As the female caller was trying to make her point, she said “Every time you people ….”.  These words were Glenn Beck’s “fightin’ words” .  They set him off and he became much more animated, arms flailing, face turning red …. he screamed at her to get off his phone and called her a ‘Pinhead”. 

What was it about those words, “you people”, that caused Glenn’s amygdala to hijack?  Where, in his past experiences, did he hear “you people” and the consequences were emotionally negative?  That’s why we wig out, lose control.  Something someone said, or did, reminded us of an emotionally-charged prior event.  That’s the feeling that migrates from our subconscious to our amygdala — and we simply let it overcome us.  We don’t know how to stop it, and usually we are powerless to stop it.

How do we stop it?  First and foremost, we need to want to stop it.  Secondly, we need to be aware of when we are about to lose control.  Third, we need to identify our emotional triggers.  Fourth, we need to understand where these triggers began.

These are not easy steps, nor are they accomplished quickly.  Take one step at a time, one instance at a time, and you will make progress.