What to Do When You're Triggered

There are times when we feel overwhelmed by our emotions. Something or someone might have triggered an emotional response that we can't control. In these moments, it's important to have a plan on how to manage our emotions effectively. In this post, we will discuss what being triggered means and what you can do to cope with it.

Understanding Being Triggered

Being triggered means that you're experiencing an emotional response to an event or situation that is similar to a past trauma or distressing experience. It can be triggered by anything from a smell to a sound or a specific situation. When triggered, you may experience a range of emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety, or sadness.

What happens in your body when you’re triggered

When you're triggered, your body's stress response is activated. This is popularly known as fight or flight, freeze or fawn response. This can cause your heart rate to increase, breathing to become rapid, and your muscles to tense up. The stress response is designed to help you respond to a threat, but it can also cause intense emotional and physical distress.

Fight speaks for itself, adrenaline running and violence or aggression may result, the freeze response involves feeling paralyzed and unable to move, while the fawn response involves trying to appease or please the perceived threat.Understanding how your body responds to triggers can help you develop effective coping strategies to manage your emotions.

How does being triggered relate to trauma?

Being triggered is related to trauma because it often involves experiencing an emotional response to an event or situation that is similar to a past trauma or distressing experience. When triggered, you may experience a range of emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety, or sadness. Understanding the connection between being triggered and past traumas can help you identify triggers and develop coping strategies to manage your emotions.

Understanding what is causing the trigger is the first step towards managing it. Identifying the triggers can be difficult, but it's crucial in understanding the root of the issue. You can start by taking note of how you feel before and after an event or situation. Once you've identified the triggers, you can start to develop coping strategies.

Coping Strategies

When you're triggered, it's important to focus on self-care and to take steps to calm your mind and body. Here are some strategies that you can use to cope with being triggered:

1. Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques can help you feel more present and in control of your emotions. Some examples of grounding techniques include deep breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, and physical exercise. These techniques can help you stay connected to the present moment and reduce the intensity of your emotional response.

2. Reach Out to Someone You Trust

Talking to someone you trust, such as a friend or family member, can help you process your emotions in a safe and supportive environment. Your loved one can help you gain a new perspective on the situation and provide emotional support when you need it.

3. Seek Professional Help

If you're experiencing intense emotional distress or if you're struggling to cope with being triggered, it may be time to seek professional help. A therapist can help you process past traumas and develop coping strategies for managing your emotions. See this resource for quick links to professional help. https://www.iamchristinarae.com/mental-health-support .

4.Positive Self-Talk

When you're triggered, it's easy to fall into negative self-talk. You might start blaming yourself or thinking that you're overreacting. However, it's important to be kind to yourself and to practice positive self-talk. Instead of criticizing yourself, try to focus on positive affirmations. Tell yourself that you're strong and capable of managing your emotions. Positive self-talk can help you feel more empowered and in control of your emotions.

Addressing Trauma

If you are triggered focusing on coping techniques in real time and stabilizing and finding safety is the first step. If you have found safety and calm and want to dive deeper into what is causing the trigger and ways to prevent the pain around that than it may be time to address trauma.

Recognizing a trigger is a major step in healing and addressing emotional and psychological trauma. Because being triggered is so uncomfortable and unfortunately the stress response is not always helpful or necessary because of sensitivities caused by trauma, it is appealing and super important to seek to provide healing and nurturing to any old wounds that can be released.

Addressing trauma is useful in finding compassion for yourself for any struggles that the trauma has caused in your life, it allows you to learn more about what you need to feel safe and cared for, and also provides the opportunity to release any unresolved emotions that have been long suppressed causing those triggering moments.

There are several holistic ways to address emotional trauma.

Some of these include somatic healing practices, traditional approaches to mental health, and spiritual practices. Ultimately everyone’s story and experiences is vastly unique and only you can find what feels good and resonates with your life journey and needs. The great thing is that learning about your needs and what makes you feel safe and thriving is a beautiful journey with a lifetime of benefits.

• Mindfulness meditation

• Breathwork

• Talk Therapy

• Ecstatic Dance

• Time In Nature

• Yoga

• Acupuncture

• Massage therapy

• Art therapy

• Community Support Groups

These methods can help you manage your emotions and reduce the impact of trauma on your mental and physical health. However, it's important to note that these methods are not a substitute for seeking professional help and community. Seeking therapy or counseling can be an important step towards emotional healing. Having supportive loved ones and trauma informed practitioners is a great way to ensure a safe and productive healing and relaxing experience.

By working with a therapist, you can process past traumas and develop coping strategies for managing your emotions. With the right support and coping strategies, you can learn to manage your emotions effectively and move towards emotional healing. Remember to take care of yourself and reach out for help when you need it.

Conclusion

Being triggered can be overwhelming, but it's important to remember that you're not alone. With the right support and coping strategies, you can learn to manage your emotions effectively and move towards emotional healing. Remember to take care of yourself and reach out for help when you need it. By understanding your triggers and developing coping strategies, you will take control of your emotions and live a happier, healthier life. There are many resources for support in difficult times, and many other resources to facilitate healthy coping strategies in your daily life, a supportive community, and inspiration to help you find courage, empowerment, and clarity.

Here is a list of mental health resources in the short term if you are in need of support. You are loved.

https://www.iamchristinarae.com/mental-health-support

Rae Rituals is a community that offers daily breathwork practices and mediations to help you feel empowered, heal, and learn more about yourself and achieving your goals while growing along side of community of like minds who share thoughts and access to live events and group coaching calls. If you are interested in joining click here!