How to Deal With Triggers

1. Recognize that you are having an emotional reaction in your body. Pay attention to your heart rate and breathing. Take deep breaths in through your noise and out through your mouth. Allow your heart rate to slow as you become more comfortable in your body.
2. Do not judge the reaction. Don’t even comment on it. Remain completely neutral and in the moment. Continue focusing on bringing awareness to your body and slowing down the physical reaction.
3. Ground yourself. If you are having trouble feeling grounded in the present, look around the room and try to find something you can touch, see, or smell. Create safety in your surroundings and ground yourself in the present moment. Repeating a mantra helps many people. You can say something like, “I am safe. I am in control.”
4. Label the emotion. What are you experiencing right now? Have you felt like this before? Try to identify if it is sadness, fear, etc. Once put a name to a sensation, you can try to understand it.
5. Wait until you are calm and grounded in the moment, then try to find out what caused this reaction. Were you reminded of something? When did the reaction start? Just being more aware of your triggers can help. As you become more aware, your emotional reactions may begin to feel more understandable, valid, predictable, and less out of control.
6. Empower yourself. Notice your ability to act on your own behalf. How is this situation different? What tools do you have that show you that you’re safe? This situation is reminding you of the past, but is it the same? Really think about how you have grown, what resources you have, and what skills you can use to overcome distress.
7. What will be different next time? Think about the tools that you have and how you would like to react next time. Envision yourself reacting this way and develop awareness.

At its core, emotional triggering is a survival response. Our brains create powerful associations between things that hurt us and whatever was happening when we got hurt. When we are exposed to environmental triggers, we react. This usually happens subconsciously and outside of our awareness. Reacting to environmental trigger is not and excuse for certain behaviors. It’s information. It’s a sign that there is a wound there that needs to be addressed. But this does not mean you are a victim to your past and present triggers. You can absolutely overcome them through hard work and re-wiring your brain.