Your emotional scars are those that are invisible, easily ignored or suppressed and are susceptible to triggers that may ignite the fire within us, bringing those emotions to the surface. Every scar comes with an associated story, some more painful than others, and is often the only thing that reminds you of what happened.
Our triggers are attached to those scars and come in different shapes and sizes and evoke a myriad of emotions, and just when you think your emotional wounds have healed, a trigger pops up and reminds you there is still a scar.
“Triggers cause chain reactions that can harm or revive you.”
Netflix indicates potential triggers as a precursor to watching a movie. They will warn us there is nudity, sex, violence against children, drug use, etc. Unfortunately, we do not receive trigger warnings as we navigate through our daily lives, so it’s up to us to be able to identify our triggers and then find ways to cope with the after-effects.
Triggers can be external, such as a scent or a date that will mentally bring you back to a time in your life you would much rather forget. They can also be internal and dwell within our minds and tend to manifest themselves in the form of sadness, loneliness, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed.
Both types will produce uncomfortable emotional symptoms, but all hope isn’t lost, there are many ways you can take control of your triggers and conquer them one day at a time.
How to Identify your triggers
1. quickening pace of your heart
2. unknown feeling of being overwhelmed
3. find you are self-medicating
How to cope with your triggers
1. Prayer or Meditation
2. See therapist consistently
3. Talk to someone you trust
4. Join a support group
I encourage you to take the time to identify your triggers and share them with people you trust and believe me when I say once you have done this, you are taking the necessary steps towards healing.
“Avoiding your triggers isn’t healing. Healing happens when you’re triggered, and you’re able to move through the pain, the pattern, the story, and walk away to a different ending.”
Let’s talk! Contact us, info@heartofaman.com