Do you get triggered easily?
Triggers are just stimuli that provoke intense emotional responses within us.
Just like when you accidentally touch something really hot. A quick and intense burst of emotion comes out impulsively.
It’s also very common to have the similar emotional triggers to those that we grew up with as we have been conditioned to certain markers being around them.
Our trigger tolerance often lies in our past experiences and the way our brain processes emotions.
States of emotional dysregulation disrupts healthy functioning of the brain and body if your always easily stressed and for long periods.
How Your Triggers Can Help You
Triggers help us understand ourselves better if we are able to self-reflect on our emotional responses.
Want to know more on Self-reflection? Click here.
The first step when triggered, is to identify what’s happening right now. After quickly take a deep breath in and out… Followed by taking a step back.
To reflect and ask yourself:
- Why am I triggered right now?
- What am I really feeling? Yes, anger and frustration but why?
- Last, is it worth my time and energy right now?
Here are somethings to keep in mind when chaos arises.
Don’t Take Things Personal
In triggered situations, we tend to take things a lot more personal.
Most of the time it has more to do with the other person than us.
When you let others easily trigger you, you become a slave to your emotions and them!
Remember, Deep Breaths!
Our breathing becomes quick and shallow when in distress.
Controlled breathing helps you become calmer and reduces the stress hormones during anger.
It’s easy, just remember…
Take three long breaths, breathing slowly in your nose and out of your mouth.
This will help ground your elevated emotional state making you less impulsive to explosive behaviors.
Challenge Your Inner Dialogue
When you come into a situation that can cause emotional stress, look at the situation from a third-person point of view.
If your friends or family were to ask you advice about the same situation, how would you advise them to react?
Most of the time we would advise our friends and family to no act rash in the heat of the moment, so why wouldn’t we do the same?
STOP! Think Before You Speak And Act!
It is so easy to lose control in a snap of a finger.
Sometimes, what seems like a good idea at the moment, isn’t.
Once the dust settles we end up in regret.
As you feel called to action by you anger, do the opposite and pause.
Do not utter even a sound or another action until the anger has sided.
You might save yourself from burning a lot of bridges you didn’t mean too!
Even on a day to day.
Be intentional and mindful what what you say and do.
I can help you improve your communication skills as well as help you improve your relationship with others.
LOL!
How many times when we think back to all the times things went wrong for us and you can’t help but laugh.
Find the humor in it.
Laugh out loud. At How silly everything really is.
It helps release tension in a situations where you can’t help but overthink and stress out.
When things seem like it’s a dead-end find the humor in it and laugh. Time will pass and so will this situation.
Just Walk Away
When you find a person or situation highly triggering to you. You must take yourself out of it.
Do not spend another second stuck in that negative energy.
Walk out of that space and put yourself in a better one.
Go to a place that relaxes you or call a friends and talks about fun or silly things.
It’s so easy to lose yourself in just a moment of stress that you forget that there is more to life than just this situation.
Don’t let these situations rob you of peace and joy!
