We’ve all been there. That moment when something happens and we instantly feel our heart rate increase, our palms get sweaty and we just can’t seem to think straight. For some people, these moments happen often – maybe even daily. This is because they are living life in a state of constant triggers. Triggers are the things that set off our nervous system and cause us to feel stressed or anxious. In this blog post, we will discuss what triggers are and how you can start to change the way you respond to them!
What are triggers?
Triggers can be anything that sets off our nervous system and causes us to feel stressed or anxious. They can be things that happen externally, such as a stressful situation at work, or they can be things that happen internally, such as negative self-talk. Triggers can also be related to physical sensations, such as a racing heart or sweaty palms.
Why are triggers a problem?
When you live life in a state of constant triggers, your nervous system is always in high alert. This can lead to chronic stress and anxiety, which can have negative consequences on both your physical and mental health. In addition, when you are constantly living in a triggered state, it becomes very difficult to focus on anything else. All of your energy is focused on trying to manage your stress and anxiety, which leaves little room for anything else in your life.
How do triggers affect us?
When you live life in a triggered state, unconsciously your nervous system is always in a revved up state. This can lead to chronic stress and anxiety, which can have negative consequences on our physical and mental health. In order to start healing these negative consequences, we need to change the way we respond to our triggers.
How can I change the way I respond to triggers?
The good news is that you don’t need to change all of life in order to start responding differently to your triggers. You just need to change the way you respond! The first step is awareness. Start paying attention to when you feel stressed or anxious and what might have been the trigger for that feeling.
– Identify your triggers. The first step is to become aware of what your triggers are. This can be done by keeping a journal or tracking your symptoms. Once you know what your triggers are, you can start to develop strategies to deal with them.
– Avoid or minimise exposure to triggers. If possible, try to avoid or minimise exposure to the things that trigger you. This may not be possible in all cases, but it is worth trying if you can.
– Use relaxation techniques. When you start feeling triggered, use some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or visualisation. This can help to calm your nervous system and stop the cycle of stress and anxiety.
– Talk to a coach or therapist. If you are struggling to manage your triggers on your own, it may be helpful to talk to a coach or therapist. They can help you develop strategies specifically for you and teach you how to cope with your triggers.
-Get proficient in FEELING the 4 elements (explained further down)
The most important thing is to be patient and compassionate with yourself. It takes time to change the way we respond to our triggers, but it is possible! With practice and patience, you can start to live a life that is free from stress and anxiety.
Every experience can be broken down into four elements: thoughts, images, emotions and body sensations. It is important to duplicate all these four elements in order to move through a trigger and get back to homeostasis.
When we have an experience that triggers us, it sets off a chain reaction in our body. Our thoughts, images, emotions and body sensations all work together to create the experience.
If we can identify the different elements of the experience, we can start to unravel it bit by bit. This is how we begin to heal our triggers.
The first step is to become aware of what’s going on inside us when we’re triggered. What are our thoughts? What images are we seeing? What emotions are we feeling? And what sensations are we experiencing in our body?
Once we have a clear understanding of what’s going on, we can start to work through it. We can begin to EXPERIENCE and question our thoughts, experience the images we’re seeing, and fully feel the emotions that are coming up. Again Feeling the body sensations that are happening inside us. Being with them, without needing to change or fix them.
Naming the image, thought, emotion and body sensation, while feeling these elements fully, helps clear content from our minds.
Each time a new layer occurs and again, we feel the 4 elements fully: Image, thought, emotion, body sensation. We call this duplication and it is important to neutralise the charge of a trigger and get back to homeostasis.
Once we remove layers, the trigger, or problem we started with, is no longer there. We can then start to look at our lives with fresh eyes, and make decisions that will support us in living a life we love.
This is the beginning of creating a new story for your life. A story where you are the hero, and you get to choose what happens next.
When we take this journey into ourselves, we start to see that we have the power to change our lives by going inside. We can choose how we want to react to different situations, and create a life that is no longer reactive to triggers, but based on our own values and beliefs.
This is the journey of self-discovery!
Click here for my trigger meditation:
