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How to recognize your Emotional Triggers?

 On any given day, something can happen that makes an individual upset, afraid, or angry. Emotional triggers stem from many different factors and they affect people in a variety of ways. What’s important to note is that emotional triggers are unique to each person. An emotional trigger could be an item, subject, word, or even memory that evokes very strong negative feelings for you. Just about everyone has some emotional triggers, though these might look a little different from person to person. Knowing what your emotional triggers are (and how to deal with them) is a key component of good emotional health.

What are Triggers?

When we’re triggered, our reactions may be difficult for us and others to handle. A trigger might make you feel helpless, panicked, unsafe, and overwhelmed with emotion. You might feel the same things that you felt at the time of the trauma, as though you were reliving the event. A trigger can be anything that sparks a memory of a trauma or a part of a trauma. Virtually anything can trigger us, depending on our beliefs, values, and earlier life experiences such as a tone of voice, a type of person, a particular viewpoint, a single word 

Depending on which symptoms the individual feels, they may have one of several types of mental health triggers. A trigger can be truly anything, but most triggers fall into one of a few categories. Which category your trigger falls into can be based on the initial traumatic incident, the feelings it causes, or a combination of both. The most common types of triggers are:

Anxiety Triggers.

These are emotional triggers that are rooted in panic and stress. They are characterized by anxiety or nervousness that seems to come from nowhere and is centered around the trigger. In many cases, anxiety triggers coincide with anxiety disorders.

Trauma Triggers. 

Trauma triggers are most often associated with post-traumatic stress. Many people, may consciously or unconsciously avoid situations that may trigger them. This is known as avoidance behavior, and it is a coping mechanism that works in the short term but does not allow for healing in the long term.

Anger Triggers.

Sometimes, individuals find themselves irrationally angry about a situation or an object. This is a key sign of an anger trigger, and it can take a lot of work to tame this emotional response.

Other Mental Health Triggers.

In addition to the emotional triggers listed above, many other things trigger people depending on their own experiences and mental health needs. Some other psychological triggers include:

  • Grief
  • Poor sleep
  • Chronic pain
  • Relationship troubles
  • Abuse
  • Loud noises
  • Unexpected events
  • Social gatherings

Recognizing our Triggers.

Recognizing the triggers that cause emotional or physical responses is the first step in learning to manage them. Identifying your emotional triggers is so vital because without bringing to consciousness what provokes extreme responses from you, you’ll be a puppet constantly manipulated by your emotions. 

Identifying a trigger is hard. But it’s much easier to take stock of what you feel in the moment. When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by powerful emotions, take stock of what you’re experiencing. Do you feel angry, sad, or jealous? What about physical signs is your heart pounding, are you breathing quickly? Examining what you’re feeling both physically and emotionally will be easier to identify what the triggering event was. It's important to know how to recognize your triggers. Here are some ways to recognize when you might be triggered: 

Notice how you feel.

Do you feel anxious, or overwhelmed, or are you having trouble calming yourself down? Pay attention to these symptoms when they arise, particularly if they feel sudden or unrelated to your circumstances. If you’re feeling this way but don’t know why there’s a good chance that you’re triggered.

Something is bothering you.

Is there something that’s suddenly weighing on your mind? If it’s a major or high-stakes issue, your concern might not be out of the ordinary. But if it’s a routine occurrence that’s got you stressed, there might be more to it than meets the eye. 

Listen to yourself.

We’ve all had times when we can’t seem to stop venting about a particular issue. We think we’ve put it out of our minds, but when we talk about it we feel worked up all over again. If you find that you can’t stop rehashing a particular situation, something about it may have you triggered.

Check your feelings.

Trigger reactions are notoriously explosive. After all, there’s a reason why the term “hair trigger” became a popular metaphor. If you find that you’re having an outsized reaction (or many of them), pay attention. You may not be reacting to the situation at hand, but to an underlying stressor.

Remember that you are in charge of your reactions; the triggers do not have to control you. Through trial and error, you can find ways to push past the effects of negative triggers on your life. 

How to  disarm your Emotional Trigger

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to disarm an emotional trigger. Your experiences are personal to you, and it might take a bit of experimenting to see what works. Here are a few ideas. Try them out and see what works best for you:

Accept your feelings. Your feelings are valid. It’s OK to feel, angry, upset, or scared. The trick is to accept these feelings and not let them overtake you. You might not be in control of all your feelings, but you do have control of your actions.

  • Take a step back. When you’re triggered, you lose your objectivity. It’s almost impossible to have any perspective when you’re overcome with emotion. If you can, take a step back from the situation so you can see things more clearly. Highly emotional thinking doesn’t produce clear solutions.
  • Communicate. Heightened emotions make it more difficult to communicate. But effective communication skills are the key to any good relationship. If a friend, colleague, or loved one has triggered you, take a moment to gather your thoughts. Communicate clearly what has happened so they can understand how you’re feeling.
  • Breathing techniques. You read earlier about how emotional triggers can produce physical symptoms of anxiety. Breathing techniques can help calm you down and stop things from getting worse. Here are 6 exercises that can help you relax in 10 minutes or less.

You Got This!!

Once we know our triggers and begin to recognize them when they happen, we can see them for what they are overreactions to a perceived threat. Then, we can learn to respond in ways that are more life-affirming, useful, and healthy for us. Life is full of triggers, know this. But, also know you have the choice and the power to respond to those triggers in ways that are healthy and achieve better outcomes. Remember, it is always up to you to choose how you want to respond in any given situation.


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