You have probably been in a situation where someone made a comment in a "joking" tone, but it hit you in some way. This is how a emotional trigger Suddenly you feel out of place, anxious, depressed, guilty or ashamed when someone expresses disapproval about you.

But, why do we have triggers? In childhood, we inevitably face some pain or suffering. When we can't deal with it in the moment, it stays in our subconscious and triggers are created for experiences that remind us of those occasions. Read on and understand!

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Emotional Trigger Concept

According to Brazilian Society of Emotional Intelligence (SBIE) Emotional triggers are a mental response to a situation or stimulus that recalls something experienced in the past. cognitive behavioral psychologist, Rejane Sbrissa adds that these triggers are intense emotional reactions that can be provoked by people, words, thoughts, opinions or even situations .

In this way, the symptoms of emotional triggers are feelings of anger, sadness, fear, guilt, compulsions, anxiety attacks, low self-esteem, inferiority and depression Although it is mostly associated with negative feelings, the psychologist also says that there are positive triggers that can inspire and support.

Besides invoking feelings, an emotional trigger can also cause physical reactions such as tachycardia, tremors, sweating, stomach pain, headache, and even shortness of breath Therefore, when going through a trigger situation, even without understanding the causes, it is fundamental to try to calm down so as not to worsen the bodily reactions and thus be able to think and act calmly.

Main causes

The causes of emotional triggers can come from many different sources. They can range from a certain tone of voice, the types of people you need to interact with, a simple word, or even a touch. These triggering situations will necessarily refer back to something that happened in the past that marked you significantly. The presence of a trigger can indicate that thesituation needs attention and treatment in order not to impact mental health.

"It will depend on the beliefs, values, and previous experiences of each person, so what is a trigger for one person is not for another, even in a family, living the same experience, because each person understands it in his own way, according to his emotions, maturity, beliefs, and values," says the psychologist.

How to identify a trigger?

To identify a trigger easily and prevent it from impacting one's life in a negative way, it is necessary to have self-knowledge. self-analysis and list questions to yourself to uncover the trigger.

"Question yourself, observe yourself, try to recapitulate the events trying to find the origin of a restlessness, sadness, irritability that suddenly appeared. What made my mood change? Why am I feeling this way? Thus, you will be able to understand what triggered certain feelings and emotions. It is important to pay attention to the signs. Begin to perceive how you feel before each event in your life", says Rejane.

How to deal with emotional triggers?

The emotional triggers are created after experiments Even though it is difficult to identify the exact cause of the trigger, it is necessary to recognize it if you want to learn how to react better to a vulnerability. Luckily, there are also ways to respond, rather than "fight back" against the triggers. Learn what they are:

Name the emotional trigger

Naming is the main way to deal with triggers. Making a list of familiar triggers, which are often repeated, can lead to being aware of them and having a plan to deal with them. This way you will know how to react to these situations.

Find your source

Finding the source of a trigger - such as trauma or specific events - is key to freeing yourself from it. Working on the original triggers helps to break their power. This makes it easier to resolve the situation.

Read also: How to take better care of your emotional health

Share your emotional trigger with a family member or friend

Sharing your triggers with trusted people can help reduce their impact. You may feel alone a lot of the time, but if you are with someone who can be trusted and can help you deal with your triggers, you will feel more at ease.

Be kind to yourself

Everyone makes mistakes, so when you make a mistake or are going through a situation where you feel inadequate, think otherwise. Having positive thoughts about yourself can help you have more self-confidence.

In this way, people comfort themselves and show understanding, rather than berating themselves for feeling so weakened by the reactions that a trigger shows.

Bet on therapy to deal with your triggers

The simple fact of having your emotions shaken by a situation, comment, or event, is already a reason to seek psychological counseling and solve the emotional issue, preventing it from triggering other problems. In this sense, a psychologist can help a lot. According to psychologist Rejane "the search for a psychotherapeutic treatment will help to find how to deal with the triggers.Identifying their origin and thus learning how to deal with them," she says.

Source: Rejane Sbrissa, cognitive behavioral psychologist.

Reference: Brazilian Society of Emotional Intelligence (SBIE)