Identifying Triggers and Learning to Manage Them 

Triggers are anything that can bring back mental health problems. Triggers can be anything, which makes it hard to avoid or manage. Triggers are also unique to the individual, so just because someone is not triggered by stimuli does not mean stimuli are not triggering. Common triggers include: 

• People 
• Songs
• Environments 
• Items 
• Scents 
• Foods 
• Activities 
• Thoughts

What Happens When I’m Triggered?

When we get triggered, our automatic nervous system (ANS) becomes activated. This can alert our fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. Triggers can cause sadness, panic, anger, despondence, dissociation, anxiety, spiraling, or can otherwise cause us to become dysregulated. Triggers are typically a response to a trauma experience and are not the same as becoming annoyed or stunned (for example) at a minor inconvenience. Triggers can be abrupt and really scary for those experiencing them.

Identifying Triggers

Identifying triggers is the first step in knowing how to deal with them. This can be hard as sometimes we don’t know something is a trigger until we’re triggered by it! Take a moment to reflect on specific times you were triggered. Make sure to do this in a neutral and controlled setting (like during therapy or while journaling). Then, ask yourself: What triggered me? What was it about that situation, event, or stimuli that was so triggering? What was going on in my body? What emotions came up for me?

Avoiding Triggers

A common way to deal with triggers is to avoid them. This makes sense logically because if a trigger is out of sight, it is also out of mind. This can be very helpful in some cases but not always. There are some triggers that we are not always able to avoid. For example, scents can be triggering, and while we can make sure that we never use a fragrance, we cannot control whether others may use that specific fragrance or scent.

Additionally, when we avoid triggers, our body continuously registers that stimulus as dangerous. This, in turn, “gives power” to the stimuli, making it more likely that the impact of becoming triggered continuously gets stronger over time. This can lead to harmful coping behaviors, such as never wanting to leave the house out of fear of becoming triggered. Or using substances every time a trigger occurs.

Managing Triggers

Managing triggers is the most effective way of dealing with them because the truth is, we may not be able to eliminate our triggers completely. When we learn how to manage our triggers, we can remind our bodies that the stimuli are not an actual threat and that we are not in imminent danger. Common ways to manage triggers include:

•  Desensitization 
• Distress tolerance 
• Grounding and self-soothing.

Managing Triggers: Desensitizing

Desensitizing is the process of repeatedly exposing oneself to triggering stimuli to minimize the reaction that the stimuli cause. This type of therapy is often referred to as Exposure Therapy or Flooding. This process is gradual and has been shown to be effective in treating specific types of triggers, like phobias. It is not recommended that anyone does it on their own without the support of a trained professional.

Managing Triggers: Distress Tolerance

Distress tolerance is a treatment approach that focuses on symptom management. Urge surfing is an effective way to treat triggers when an unhelpful behavior (like smoking) is associated with them. The goal is to understand that triggers will reach their peak at around 30 minutes (or less). So, if we can manage the trigger through distractions or self-soothing, for example, we disassociate the unhelpful behavior from the trigger.

Managing Triggers: Grounding and Self-Soothing

Grounding and self-soothing are ways to relax and calm our bodies after being triggered. They are ways to remind ourselves that we are safe. Grounding and self-soothing offer various benefits, such as better sleep, reduced stress, normalized heart rate, regulated breathing, reduced pain, and more. Helpful grounding and self-soothing activities are: 

• 5-4-3-2-1 method 
• Rainbow Room 
• Yoga and meditation 
• Warm baths and showers 
• Calming music