Understanding hot buttons. Hot buttons are triggers that make us react with anger. They are not necessarily the real cause of our anger, but they can be the one that lights the fuse. Triggers vary in the intensity of the anger reaction they can evoke. Some can evoke uncontrollable rage, while others merely mild irritation. Hot buttons can be things that fall short of your expectations, block your goals, attack your self-esteem, violate your values, and/or give you a feeling of loss or helplessness. A hot button is usually one that elicits an intense reaction in a person, or the one that frequently sparks anger. These hot buttons can be: A, something we observe, example, injustices happening to other people. B, something we think, example, the thinking that we are always the target of a particular person’s mockery. C, something we feel, example, the feeling of being helpless. D, something we do, example, rescuing someone in a jam even if they don’t deserve our help. E, any combination of the four.
