An emotional trigger from...a dog

[Merocor]

One minute, I tell myself that I am going to relax and watch some TV, or read a book. And then, my housemate's puppy comes up onto the couch with me and starts playing, or wants to lie next to me. Sometimes he licks my hand uncontrollably.

And I get this sudden wave of anger. I want to push him away, or at the very least force him to stop licking my hand. Any time he licks it, it triggers something in me, and I get this sudden rush of anger again.

I never assumed it would be some sort of trigger for me. I grew up with a puppy all the way until he died of old age, but he was always a good dog. I was never attacked by a pet or animal of any kind.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? is it an intimacy issue? maybe that he is trying to show affection and I'm rejecting it? Most of the time I wish he would just stop so I could keep watching TV....

[RecoveryKitten]

Thank for sharing☺️
Sometimes I feel triggered by the stupidest things and get angry and start feeling like I can't control anything. 😕 I think for me I have a hard time dealing with anything that is not a part of my "plan".  It's like-"hello! Didn't you get the memo? This is how my afternoon was supposed to look! "  My sponsor told me once that when I feel frustrated I am trying to control something I can't control. Now I try to take a step back and see if I really am upset about what's going on or if I'm just mad that things are not following My plan😕  Helps me to see what is really triggering me.
Good luck and don't feel alone☺️

[Merocor]

Thanks! I agree, I think I am setting that time aside to relax and if someone disrupts it, I do get really upset. The same goes for when I'm watching TV and my room mates come home, they want to talk to me about what I'm watching, and it then pulls my focus from the show. Cause I loose focus easily too.....

[Three Roses]

Hello and welcome, recovery kitten!