Triggers and Coping with Them
When we are triggered, it can be difficult to cope sometimes. Day to day, we are focused on the things we need to complete – homework, work projects, assignments, chores, responsibilities. Throughout our days, we are also juggling things that trigger certain responses, reactions, and emotions within us. These triggers can cause us to react outwardly, which can in turn impact the people around us and the things that we have to accomplish day after day. The question is how do we identify these triggers, and then how do we cope with them so they do not impact our day to day tasks and chores?
Triggers
A trigger is a stimulus that can cause an emotional or a behavioral reaction. Triggers can be anything, such as a person, place, situation, or thing, which contributes to an unwanted response. When someone is triggered, they may experience a range of emotions, such as anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, or confusion to name a few. One can also experience physical symptoms, such as racing heart beats, sweating, or changes in breathing.
Identifying Your Triggers
Triggers can be identified by paying attention to things that make you uncomfortable, anxious, or upset. Once you know what your triggers are, you can start to develop coping strategies for dealing with them. But how do we identify what our triggers are? If you feel you are triggered, or have recently experienced a trigger, think about how you feel, emotionally and physically.
Is/was there something bothering you? Listen to yourself – if you are having trouble processing something and every time you bring it up to someone or yourself, are you worked up all over again? Also, check your feelings. If you seem to have a large reaction to something that does not call for that large of a reaction, maybe you are reacting to something else, such as an underlying stressor.
Examples of Triggers
Triggers can come in many different forms. They can be emotional, visual, auditory, or even people. An emotional trigger could be a form of rejection or betrayal from a friend or family member. A visual trigger might be seeing a certain person, an object/item, or maybe even a color. Auditory triggers might be someone chewing their food with their mouths open or really loudly.
Certain people in our lives can also be triggers as well. Each of these examples of triggers can be different for everyone – someone might experience loud chewing as a trigger while the next person might not. Triggers are generally associated with some past trauma as well.
Coping with our Triggers
While there is not a cure for triggers, there are different ways for us to cope with them. When you start to notice your emotions and behaviors changing negatively, stop for a moment and think about where you are, what you are doing, and what is going on. Identify within yourself what physical changes you feel occurring in your body and name them.
Whatever the situation may be, it is probably best to take a step back and practice some deep breathing techniques. If the trigger was a text from someone, take some time to cool down before responding to them. Think, really think, before you respond to someone who might have triggered you. Lastly, take care of yourself with self-care, mindfulness, meditation, practice your deep breathing techniques, and reach out to a professional if you feel you need additional support.
Review
Triggers could be a variety of different things that cause us to have some sort of reaction. We can either be aware of our triggers or not yet aware of them. It is important to be able to identify our triggers and then cope with them accordingly. Coping skills for triggers can include breathing exercises, mindfulness, naming the feeling and behavior, and seeking out a therapist if you want further assistance. Try out this worksheet from Therapist Aid to help you identify your triggers.*
About Therapist Bethany Winter, MA, LPC Barnum Counseling
*Therapist Aid Worksheet: https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/triggers
Cooks-Campbell, A. (2022, July 15). Triggers: Learn to recognize and deal with them. Triggers: Learn to Recognize and Deal With Them. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://www.betterup.com/blog/triggers
Image by storyset on Freepik