Primary triggers are internal, dysfunctional personal beliefs that we learned in childhood. We can trigger ourselves into feeling ashamed if we don't measure up to standards we've adopted for ourselves. We can easily activate our inner critic to ruin our day or our life!
With practice, the reaction to your emotional triggers could subside, but they may never go away. The best you can do is to quickly identify when an emotion is triggered and then choose what to say or do next.
We may be “pseudo-independent” and see ourselves as just fine on our own. Because we have adapted by disconnecting from our own needs, we often perceive others as emotionally “needy.” When we feel triggered by our partner, we may see their attempt to connect as needy, dramatic, or overwhelming.
An emotional trigger can be your memories or experiences that create a powerful emotional reaction, despite your present mood. Emotional triggers are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Triggers explain the reason behind a person's reactions rather than being used as an excuse for the behavior.
A trigger might make you feel helpless, panicked, unsafe, and overwhelmed with emotion. You might feel the same things that you felt at the time of the trauma, as though you were reliving the event. The mind perceives triggers as a threat and causes a reaction like fear, panic, or agitation.
Whatever triggers you, reveals what you need to heal. If it triggers you, work on yourself. Because if people get to know this, you'll be in a serious trouble. You become better by being comfortable with your triggers.
Another reason we get angry over small things is that we personalize everything that happens to us. So even if something has nothing to do with us, we can't help but take it personally. This can lead to feeling like we're constantly under attack, making us angry.
The psychology of overreacting explains that people overreact to protect themselves against threats. When we perceive a "threat" to our wellbeing, the body activates the stress response. Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are released to prepare you to either fight the potential threat or run away from it.
Many people fall somewhere in the middle, meaning you might be sensitive, but not too overreactive. But if you tend toward 'A' behaviour, then yes, you have an overreactive personality. Overreactive tendencies tend to come hand-in-hand with other behaviours and symptoms, including: being impulsive.
According to Dr. Bolte Taylor: “Once triggered, the chemical released by my brain surges through my body and I have a physiological experience. Within 90 seconds from the initial trigger, the chemical component of my anger has completely dissipated from my blood and my automatic response is over.
Though commonly used to refer to the experiences of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the term "trigger" can also be used in the context of other mental health illnesses. This includes substance use disorders, eating disorders, and anxiety.
Triggers can include sights, sounds, smells, or thoughts that remind you of the traumatic event in some way. Some PTSD triggers are obvious, such as seeing a news report of an assault. Others are less clear. For example, if you were attacked on a sunny day, seeing a bright blue sky might make you upset.
What does it mean to stonewall someone? In simple terms, stonewalling is when someone completely shuts down in a conversation or is refusing to communicate with another person.
“I am sorry that my action triggered you. But I think this is really about your past trauma which is causing you to be upset. You should find a therapist to help you to sort this out because your overreaction is very upsetting for me. This apology shifts the narrative.