Finding Your Inner Activation Points
We all have inner buttons that can throw us off balance—and others that help us return to ourselves. Learning to recognize them can make difficult moments easier to meet.
What are the inner buttons that get pressed in us so quickly—and how can we grow through them?
When I was a student during exam periods, I noticed that at certain hours of the day I could focus better, retain more, and make real progress. Whenever I studied during those hours, I did significantly better on my exams. After seeing this pattern repeat itself, I began to explore it and realized that consciousness moves in cycles.
I discovered that in the mornings I tend to be more sensitive, and around sunset I feel more creative. Once I understood that, I started working with it. I made my mornings gentler by paying attention to my thoughts as I woke up and feeding my mind with gratitude, love, and awareness of what is good in my life. I began giving the sunset hours to friendship and creativity.
That alone helped me bring out more of my creative expression.
Later, I learned something else: when I am having a hard time, if I bring in a touch of humor—if I quietly exaggerate the situation in my mind, or suddenly tell myself a silly joke—it becomes easier. I can access more inner resources and meet the moment with more strength.
Over time I discovered that I can bring this humorous tone into almost any inner place that gets pulled into drama, anxiety, or discouraging thoughts, and each time it helps me return to myself.
A patient once came to me after years of painful verbal outbursts he could not control. They tended to happen when his children crossed boundaries that were deeply important to him. He suffered from this and had not been able to change it for a long time. In our work together, we identified what helped him in the moment just before the outburst—and sometimes even prevented it. There were specific ways of seeing and thinking that activated him, and other specific ways of seeing and thinking that brought him back to self-control and balance.
These are our inner “buttons.” Most of us know them mainly from the negative side.
We usually know what drives us out of our minds, what wounds us, and what we feel we simply “cannot handle.”
But we also have many positive inner buttons
It is both possible and worthwhile to notice the things that consistently help us cope.
Just as each of us has certain times of day that are better for studying, concentrating, creating, or resting, each of us also has inner buttons connected to our self-talk, our way of seeing, and the filters through which we interpret life. In difficult moments, these can truly help steady us.
I invite you to notice when you have felt strong, gathered, happy, and balanced. Try to recall the inner dialogue you were having then, distill it into a few simple phrases, and consciously return to it today.
This can make a meaningful difference. It may help you discover the supportive inner buttons already living within you.
If this does not come easily and you want real help identifying the inner responses that restore your balance, you are welcome to come to the clinic and learn how to build inner strength through conscious choice.