Are Triggers Really A Bad Thing?

Posted by Lauren Minicozzi on

Are triggers necessarily a bad thing? We all get triggered by various things. It may be by a particular person. Maybe they said something that set you off. Maybe they looked down at you which made you question your own self-worth. Or maybe they looked at you with questionable eyes. 

We may be triggered by certain events. Maybe someone pulled out in front of you which led to anger erupting. Maybe the current climate is causing your blood to boil. Or maybe you are being triggered by how someone is treating another person.

Triggers come and go just like emotions and feelings. We are led to resent triggers or see them as a negative when in actual fact, maybe they are a blessing in disguise? Maybe they are highlighting something within that you may need to address? That you need to process? What would happen if you flipped your perception of triggers and instead of cursing them, you welcomed them. Instead of thinking negatively about them, you start treating them as a positive. The way we perceive something can have a ripple effect. Just like if you continue to think negatively about yourself, then over time you will continue to see yourself in that way. The positives you felt you had, will soon be hidden underneath the constant negatives you continue to feed yourself. So if we changed our thoughts on triggers, what effect would this have in the long term? How could they shape the way we view or see ourselves? 

Throughout my life, I have been on a continuous journey of healing. A continuous journey of finding self-acceptance within. Being at one with my body and loving it for what it is. Appreciating the many cycles it goes through and welcoming the many changes it continues to show. I would get triggered by anything and everything. The food I ate would trigger the way I saw myself. ‘Would this bite make me fat? Would this chip make me gain weight? Would this food stay on my body until I exercised it off?’ If someone said anything about my body or how I looked it would trigger the inner resentment I had for myself.  I hated people commenting on my weight. Saying ‘you look healthy’ or ‘you look different’ as I would bring it back to not being good enough and needing to be smaller. These words triggered me and would result in heading down a toxic spiral…sometimes struggling to come back up.

Seeing other female bodies would trigger me. Seeing myself in the mirror would trigger me. Seeing old photos would trigger me. Instead of addressing these triggers, I continued to dismiss them and allow that voice to take over and lead me into a black hole. I hated these triggers. Imagine if I changed my mindset about these triggers? Imagine if I viewed them as a blessing. As a signal. A sign to acknowledge where my headspace is at and use it as a guide to change its direction. Instead of ignoring the triggers and letting them eat away at me, use them as an alert to address the situation I am in and where my headspace is at. Imagine if I used them to help me get out of the current negative talk and allow them to make me stop and change directions. How powerful would that be?

I decided to change the way I addressed triggers. Instead of seeing them as a burden or dismissing them altogether. Never acknowledging the continual feeling within, I used them as a guide. I see my triggers as blessings. They highlight when I need to change directions. When I need to change paths. When I no longer need to go down the dark path ahead. It’s almost like a warning sign...

STOP. TURN AROUND. THIS PATH IS NOT FOR YOU.

My triggers are like my teachers. They teach me aspects of myself that I need to address. They show me when I need to practise self-love. When I need some down time. When I need to change my attitude and be gentle with myself. They keep me in line and without them, I would struggle to navigate or get myself back up. 

I now ask you to revisit the way you look at triggers and see if it is from a negative or positive place. Can you change your view on triggers? Instead of viewing them as a burden or using them as amo to heighten the situation, use them to defuse the negative thoughts. Allow them to help defuse the situation and put water on the burning fire in order to help new life grow. New thoughts arise. New attitudes to be met. Allow them to help guide you and be your compass in life.

We are blessed to have triggers daily as they keep us accountable. They help steer us back in the right direction or highlight an issue we need to address. Change your mindset. Change your perspective. View them as a blessing. Use them as a guide to help you navigate through life. See the change that can be had. Feel the change within.


With love and blessings

Lauren Minicozzi

#rawisbeautiful

belief disconnect empowered freedom inspired learnings lessons life

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