help, I’ve been triggered
A trigger is a stimulus that awakens a painful memory, feeling, or symptom. And I have a lot of them. Triggers serve as sensory reminders of the traumatic parts of your life, and it causes a similar response but in the present. Check out the symptoms and feelings of a trigger below.
o Feeling scared, anxious, panicked, or unsafe
o Elevated heartbeat, sweating, and difficulty breathing
o Feeling like you have no control over your emotions
o Desire to runaway, escape, or avoid
o Rumination or automatic thoughts
o Unpredictable changes in mood
o Panic attacks
o Physical tension, like clenching fist or jaw
o Flashbacks of traumatic events
o Delayed outburst of anger or sadness
Sometimes it’s difficult to even identify the triggers causing these unpleasant emotions. It takes time, effort, and understanding to figure it out and once you do, you can add it to your list of triggers. It’s important to have this list but not so you can avoid the triggers, but so you can have a plan to deal with them. There are some triggers (like someone standing behind me) that you just can’t completely avoid, and when that instant anxiety spikes, you need to know how to calm it. Other triggers like parking lots, cars driving past me, walking outside, and being alone with men can be handled with a different plan. Now, you can also get triggered by TV or movies or social media, but the world is also starting to give trigger warnings just in case. The only other place I get triggered is in therapy because we discuss my trauma, and even though it is triggering, it is crucial to conquering triggers in general.
What about other triggers that are less about trauma? There are different triggers for those that struggle with substance abuse, and people in recovery have to be aware of that to stay clean. There are also triggers like stressful situations and problems in relationships that conjure up the same feelings. For me, I get triggered by change and criticism. But for almost everyone that exists, there are emotional triggers that cause you to react in certain types of ways. I get obsessive about my emotions, and when I start to feel negative emotions, I get triggered and then obsessive about the emotion. Am I okay? Did it go away? What should I do? It’s like checkups and questions are on a loop. But there are ways to deal with it.
When you get triggered, follow the steps below:
1. Notice how you feel
2. Listen to yourself
3. Understand the feelings
4. WORK IT OUT
Understanding that you’ve just been triggered is the first step to conquering the trigger. Why do I feel this way? What about this trigger makes me feel this way? How can I stop it? That’s when coping skills come in. Once you’ve figured it out, move to a distraction. Read a book, play a video game, or watch a TV show or movie. If you can’t pull yourself out of the trigger, try to journal about it or call someone to talk about it. Keep working it out until it’s over. Make sure to add the trigger to your list. And remember, it’s only temporary. Each time, you get stronger and it gets easier.
xoxo
