Our triggers are rooted in our past traumatic experiences. In an effort to protect us from further harm, our brains scan for stimuli that might indicate a threat. That means that sometimes, we have outsized reactions to seemingly innocuous stimuli.
Take an immediate pause, and, if you can, take a break from the triggering situation. This allows you to avoid immediate, reflexive, and habitual reactions to stressful experiences, reactions that can ultimately escalate your own emotional distress.
When we're already stressed or overwhelmed, even the smallest thing can feel too much to handle. This can be especially true if we're already feeling like we are losing control of our lives. It could lead to a road accident where I get injured badly. Our anger can be a way of protecting ourselves from feeling hurt.
Common situations within relationships that trigger intense emotions include rejection, betrayal, disapproval, unjust treatment, or feeling misunderstood. In general, if you find yourself lashing out, it is important to take a look at some of your emotional triggers. Doing so with a professional can be helpful.
Mental Health Conditions Affected by Triggers
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.
If you experienced a traumatic event, you likely remember certain sounds, smells, or sights related to that experience. Now, when you encounter these sensory reminders — known as “triggers” — you may get a feeling of anxiety, unease, or panic.
There can be many different reasons. Sometimes, we become more emotional when we go through difficult or stressful times. Recent bereavement, trauma, and stress can make us feel more emotional. Some people tend to be emotionally sensitive because it's a part of their personality.
Being sensitive is not a disorder, but it can sometimes be a sign of difficulty or a mental health conditions. Events such as stress, trauma, bereavement, and major life changes can cause you to feel more sensitive. Anxiety disorders also often lead to increased emotional sensitivity.
Challenges with emotions start in the brain itself. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion. At other times, the person with ADHD seems insensitive or unaware of the emotions of others.
Overview. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
With PTSD, a trigger is something that brings on memories or reminders of a traumatic event. For example, flashbacks are often prompted by a trigger. The flashback causes you to feel as though you're reliving the traumatic experience (or some parts of it) all over again.
Common BPD Triggers
While triggers will vary from person to person, these are some common ones: Perceived or real abandonment. Rejection of any kind. Loss of a job. Locations that invoke negative memories.
Separations, disagreements, and rejections—real or perceived—are the most common triggers for symptoms. A person with BPD is highly sensitive to abandonment and being alone, which brings about intense feelings of anger, fear, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and very impulsive decisions.
Take an immediate pause, and, if you can, take a break from the triggering situation. This allows you to avoid immediate, reflexive, and habitual reactions to stressful experiences, reactions that can ultimately escalate your own emotional distress.
Signs of Relationship Trauma
These intrusions may be repetitive and unwanted. Feelings of fear or distress: A person may experience anger, fear, stress, or anxiety in the relationship. This can lead to avoidance of the triggering situation, event, or person.
Dr. Bolte explains. “When a person has a reaction to something in their environment,” she says, “there's a 90-second chemical process that happens in the body; after that, any remaining emotional response is just the person choosing to stay in that emotional loop.”
Aron and other researchers treat sensory processing sensitivity not as an illness or diagnosis but as an evolved personality trait that can be adaptive in some circumstances. For example, highly sensitive people may notice signs of danger that others miss and may pick up on more subtle social cues.