What To Do When You're Triggered

Inner Archeology with Sarah Turner & Emily Pennystone

When you are triggered, it can feel like your life is at risk, but if we can develop skills to cope in these situations, they can become opportunities to heal from our deepest wounds. Today on the show we unpack the spectrum of typical responses to triggering situations and share some of the biggest lessons we have learned to help work through these feelings. We start by defining triggers as experiences that bring about a fight or flight response and then share memories of the different ways that we have reacted in moments like these. As far as coping mechanisms go, you’ll hear a range of physical techniques that can help you situate yourself back into your body as well as the present moment. We also share a series of mental exercises involving visualization and mindfulness that assist with reframing a triggering situation in a way that makes it manageable. One of the biggest takeaways from today is that everybody is different: just as our reactions to our triggers are unique, so too should our responses be. So tune in and hear a few tips for handling triggers that can set you on the path to growth and healing.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Our increasing reliance on technology and the need to take a break from being online.
• Differences between being triggered and offended and how the former is more severe.
• The evolution of fight or flight responses and how being triggered causes the same feeling.
• How to respond to being triggered in a way that quells the fight or flight feeling.
• Stories about how Emily responded to triggering situations by running away.
• Sarah’s tendency to respond by fighting and how this plays out with Ben.
• The different ways that being triggered feels to people.
• Why it is important to reflect on your way of being triggered to handle things better.
• The consequences Emily and Sarah experience after being triggered badly.
• Handling being triggered by remembering that the ‘offender’ didn’t mean you harm.
• Grasping the severity of the harmful ways we treat ourselves by saying them out loud.
• The work that Sarah did to become mindful of her destructive inner voice.
• Uncovering your deepest wounds by becoming aware of your inner narrative.
• Sarah’s experiences on the days after she was triggered or operating on ‘high beta’.
• Why Emily wants to fight in moments where her trigger involves her children.
• Bodily experiences that Emily and Sarah have while being triggered.
• Perspectives on this idea that your triggers are your teachers.
• The value of informing the people who are close to you about your triggers.
• Tools for calming down in triggering situations such as box breathing and going outside.
• Hacking your nervous system into being more present using tapping.
• Different ways of bringing yourself back to your body and being present.
• A mental exercise to separate yourself from bad feelings when triggered.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Inner Archeology Email

Sarah Turner on Instagram

Emily Pennystone on Instagram