Cycle 5 Session 22 - Learning My Triggers

Key Questions

WHO decides what type of day you will have? 

WHAT are some healthy beliefs that can help curb your triggers? 

WHERE should you go if you need help controlling your reactions to triggers? 

WHY do different things trigger different people? Can they change?

WHEN others bring some of your triggers to your attention, what should you do?

HOW can you deal with a trigger you can't get away from in a healthy way? 

Examples of triggering thoughts:

• Personalizing a situation – It is all about me thinking. “I know it was about me because  ….”

• Minimization of the positive – Never expecting the best from a situation. "I know it's not going to happen, so.."

• Maximization of the negative – Always preparing for the worst possible scenario. "I should just go now because,..."

• Negative selection – Only focusing on the negative parts. Dismissing the positive. "I'm still mad at ...."

• All or nothing – No exception to a rule thinking. Unable to adjust to change. "It's set up for you to lose"

• Controlling – Think that if you can’t control everything, it will be ruined. "I should of done it myself"

• Overgeneralizing – Using past experiences to judge current situations. "They don't like people like us"

• Assuming – Taking things for granted. Feeling of having a right over something. "They have no respect for my boundaries"

• Fortune telling – Predicting the future. “I already know what to do with a person like that.”

Triggers – You can combat triggers with a healthy belief (V.E.S.P.M.) system.

The Cognitive Behavioral Thought Process:

1)      Situation (Trigger)

2)      Belief system (V.E.S.P.M.)

3)      Emotional response

4)      Action

 Self-Reflection Points

• Before reacting or responding to anything, be aware of your current state of mind and your emotions; these will affect your reaction. 

• Think about the consequences. Is my reaction even worth the consequences that may happen?

• Ask yourself: Does this person or situation remind you of someone or something you don't like? This can affect your mood and reaction to the situation as well.

• The things you are teaching yourself or absorbing into your mind regularly could be affecting you, causing new triggers to erupt. 

• The world can be full of triggers. We can't control everything and everyone. You can listen to a person without riding the emotional roller coaster with them. If they insist on hijacking your emotions, you must remind them of your boundaries. 

• Shower negative people with love, and they will either join your party or leave.  Maintain your boundaries and V.E.S.P.M. plan. BE YOU.