We all have to deal with other people in our day-to-day lives. Some people are easier to deal with than others but we all have our own stuff. Often other peoples' issues trigger our own issues. It's important to try to figure out what belongs to us and what belongs to "them" so that we can tap on our part.

One day my boss received a bill concerning our Internet set-up. It was for a few hundred dollars and money happens to be one of his issues. A misunderstanding with the phone company had indeed caused this invoicing and I had been in charge of setting things up. As money sets him off, he went straight into blame and hysteria mode and was very angry and talking very loud while vibrating fear (of having to pay the bill) on a very high level.

My pre-EFT system was "everything is my fault" so his ranting triggered a remaining remnant of that core issue. I kept my head, took the invoice from him and said I knew we were not at fault and that I would take care of correcting the misunderstanding (this alone I would not have done before EFT, I would have been riddled with guilt and fear but now this was not the case). When I found myself at my desk, however, I realized I was feeling shaky so I went to the bathroom to tap on a few things that came up:

Even though I'm taking on his fear, I completely love, accept and forgive myself.
Reminder phrases: Taking on his fear. Money fear issues belong to him. What if it is all my fault?

Even though I'm pissed off that he's trying to make his issues mine, I completely love and accept myself.
Reminder phrases: Trying to make his issue mine. Keep your issues to yourself. I don't want your ^&*%ing issues.

Even though I feel hurt because he doesn't trust me, he's yelling at me first, I completely love and accept myself.
Reminder phrases: He doesn't trust me. I'm hurt that he doesn't trust me.

Even though I'm angry at myself for taking on his issues, I completely love, accept and forgive myself.
Reminder phrases: Taking on other peoples' stuff again. Angry I'm still doing that.

When I got back to my desk. I sat down, made the call very calmly and everything was sorted out (though, being the phone company, it took a few of those calm calls for the invoice to finally be cancelled). What was important to me was that I had been pulled into his hysteria and that, by tapping on what came, up I was able to get out of his space and back into my own calm place. I KNEW we weren't responsible and it's that calm and certainty that helped resolve the situation in the shortest time frame possible.

As we come into contact with others, we may find we are often pulled into their stuff (my belief is that we allow ourselves to be "pulled in" because their issue is triggering an issue of our own). Of course, the "louder" and more insistent the issue, the more likely we will be drawn in. Panic tends to cause more of the same. If we can take a moment for ourselves and separate what belongs to us and what doesn't we may find we can resolve problems with much more ease than before and may even help others with their own stuff by NOT becoming part of the snake eating its own tail.

We cannot change others (though we can try surrogate tapping for them) but we do have the possibility to change our uncomfortable reactions to them. EFT makes this possible and I am eternally grateful for it.