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Trying not to get triggered.....

janedoe2Senior Contributor

Trying not to get triggered.....

In the last two weeks I have been getting exposed to more situations that cause the beginning of an emotional trigger. I have physical stress responses and a little sleep disturbance. It has all settled down from the intensity and I'm setting myself up to possibly get triggered again. I am wanting to make others happy but am wary of exposing myself to possible triggers. I'm curious if it is helpful to process these new experiences and manage my stress response as I am recovering quite quickly. I don't want to hide from life but I can't afford to emotionally stress my system out. I'm going to see how this next encounter goes and if it is too much again I will have to minimise my exposure. I'm following doctor's suggestion to get out more and interact with the world more. If it ends up being too much I'll interact with the world another way. Not going to become a hermit because it's challenging. 👣 Have to keep going forward in life.

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In response to: Trying not to get triggered.....

utopiaSenior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

@janedoe2. Do you have a psychiatrist or a psychologist that you can ask about this?
Gradual gentle exposure to triggers may help you. I guess the trick is knowing how much to push.
I hope others who have used this method can respond to you here and offer you their experiences.
Glad you aren't letting it get the better of you. Keep fighting

In response to: Trying not to get triggered.....

janedoe2Senior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

I do see someone monthly. I have to wait a month before I can ask. Thanks for your reply @utopia.

In response to: Trying not to get triggered.....

utopiaSenior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

Sorry I couldn't help @janedoe2.

In response to: Trying not to get triggered.....

janedoe2Senior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

@utopia you did help. I needed to talk about it and I appreciate your reply. It helps to write it out and read through it.

In response to: Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

CherryBombSenior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

Hi @janedoe2,

My understanding of exposure is gradual work up to intense trigger. That is, start with triggers that are least triggering, and when you feel you've mastered these, then gradually move up to the next trigger.

Is this something that you have done/or might find useful?

In response to: Trying not to get triggered.....

outlanderSenior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

Hi @janedoe2
I too am about to start therapy and work on my triggers. Ive been told quite often to go at the pace your comfortable as well otherwise you may get to overwhelmed.
Its great your recovering quickly from your sessions thats really great!

In response to: Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

birthmotherSenior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

how do you decide what is least triggering on any given day?

In response to: Trying not to get triggered.....

outlanderSenior Contributor

Re: Trying not to get triggered.....

@birthmother its hard to decide but i work from the bottom up so something small that triggers me instead of the big picture. I break it down so one thing for me is a siren. Im beginning to work on this. It greatly affects me but not as much as other triggers of mine. Hopefully that makes sense
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