Most of us have heard the phrase “I’m triggered” or “this triggered me” or something along those lines, but what does it actually mean to be “triggered”?

A trigger is a stimulus, such as a person, place, situation, or thing that contributes to an unwanted emotional or behavioral response. For example, for someone that was in a car accident driving again can be a trigger and elicit emotions like fear and behaviors like avoidance. In the context of trauma, a memory, a person, situation, or image, that reminds that person of the traumatic experience can be a trigger and lead to feelings of anxiety, sadness, shame, anger and cause the person to relieve the trauma in their mind. In anxiety it can be thoughts or situations that can lead to physical symptoms like increased heart rate, shortness of breath, feeling overwhelmed, or avoiding places and situations that might create anxiety. Unmanaged triggers can negatively affect relationships specially due to the heightened emotional responses that can come up if you are not aware of what your triggers are and therefore cannot communicate to your partner, friend, etc. about it, cause problems at work with coworkers, boss, create stress, depression, and further lead to a decline in mental health.

Now that we understand what a trigger is and what it means to be triggered, how do we cope with triggers?

Because triggers can vary from person to person, understanding your triggers can be the first step in managing your emotional and behavioral responses. Working with a therapist using modalities like EMDR, CBT, DBT and Mindfulness (read previous blog posts “All Your Questions About EMDR Answered”, “4 Hacks for Fitting Mindfulness Into Your Day”, and “Understanding Different Therapy Modalities”) can also help you cope with triggers in a healthier way. On your own you can start by identifying strategies for avoiding or reducing exposure to triggers and using coping tools for dealing with those that cannot be avoided. Some coping tools you can start implementing now are grounding and deep breathing techniques, activities that create positive emotions such as engaging in hobbies, exercise, journaling, and talking to a trusted person.

Contact us to speak to a professional about your triggers and further reduce the impact of these on your daily life.