what is a trigger
And why does it happen?
If you're human, you get triggered. I get triggered. We all get triggered.
Triggers are part of the emotional experience on this planet. However, in order for you to live a healthy & fulfilling life, let’s understand what your personal triggers are, so that you can better understand how to notice, navigate and give yourself grace.
By understanding your triggers, you can learn to respond in a way that will allow gain a more desirable outcome.
What is a trigger?
A trigger refers to something that affects your emotional state, by causing a flooding of negative feeling, overwhelm or distress.
For example, your family member makes a half-joking, half mean comment about your experience, and in that moment you feel hit with doubt, shame, anger, anxiety or sadness. And it lingers for the rest of the day.
Triggers vary widely and could be internal or external. Specific phrases, odours, or sounds can all be triggers.
Triggers are connected to certain memories in time that made you feel a certain way, and when you’re triggered, your body reacts as though it is reliving that past experience, in the present moment.
Triggers can also be unrelated to specific events but they elicit a physical response such as:
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Dissociation (feeling disconnected from present)
Trembling
Tightness in your chest
Feeling hot
Dizziness
These are some of the signs that you can tell when you’re triggered.
Everyone has triggers that are unique to their life and experiences. You may be aware and understand where your triggers come from, or you might suddenly feel a rush of negative emotions when you experience something outside of your window of tolerance.
When you’re feeling triggered, a gentle somatic tool you can use is to ground yourself by orienting to your environment.
Orienting to your space is simply widening your gaze to notice what is around you to regain a sense of safety. When you’re feeling triggered, you activate your sympathetic nervous system, narrowing your focus to what’s in front of you.
Orient to your space by:
Moving your head and face and shoulders to look around your room.
Physically move your head to turn behind you, both sides and in front of you.
Let your eyes settle on something appealing or interesting for a few moments.
In the next blog, I am sharing on how to support yourself when you’re feeling triggered.