How well do you know yourself? Are you ever shocked by how you handle certain situations? Do you wish you didn’t let that individual make you feel a certain way? When you reminisce about hard times in your life, do you regret the way you handled things? Life is always filled with many “What If’s?” As humans we are conditioned to always question ourselves and our actions. This can lead to anger, frustration and disappointment in ourselves.
What are your Triggers. Triggers are events, actions, people, memories and situations that prompt reactions in you. These reactions can be positive or negative. Today we are going to discuss the Triggers that lead us down an unhealthy path and a thought process that ignites your Anxiety. Let’s take a self inventory together. Create a list of anything that you can think of that causes your Anxiety level to ignite. I want you to really dig deep when completing this self-analysis. Be honest and true with yourself, this is the way that you will be able to instill healthy coping mechanisms in your life. Let me share some of my Personal Inventory.
Ilise’s Anxiety Triggers
1. Loud noises 5. When others project their anxiety onto me
2. People repeating themselves 6. The unexpected life events
3. Thinking about the loss of my Dad 7. Stepping out of my comfort zone
4. Others elevated anxiety levels
Honestly, these are only some of my Triggers but let’s be real, some things are just so personal that we don’t need to share everything with everyone. I am hoping by this point in this blog, My Friends, you have created your Trigger List. Sit back for a moment and really take in your list and what it says about you and your Anxiety. Do you see any trends or patterns? Are there certain people that Trigger your Anxiety? Life events can always be a very big Trigger for many. Give yourself some time to really see what happens to you by these Triggers. This is where you begin to gain more Insight into your personal world of Anxiety. Anxiety can manifest itself in many different forms.
Anxiety Reactions/Stress Response
1. Nausea 6. Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
2. Sweating 7. Rapid heart rate or elevated blood pressure
3. Tightness in chest or throat 8. Fight or Flight response
4. Feeling like you want to crawl 9. Irritability
out of your skin 10. Racing thoughts
5. Overt agitation
Now these are some responses that individuals experience when they have Anxiety Triggers. My friends, by now are you wondering where I am going with this? Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Sometimes it is hard to admit that some people, places or things are your Anxiety Triggers. Since it is hard to accept, we tend to allow these people, places or things to remain in our lives, even though they are Anxiety Triggers. Acknowledging this and gaining insight, is completing your first step, in working through Anxiety Triggers. Personally, I know that it took me years to be more calm and relaxed in certain life situations or events. I mean a lot of work. One of my Anxiety Triggers is when I am around others who have the same type of anxiety that I have worked through and they project it onto me. In these moments I have to dig deep so that I don’t feed into this Anxiety or absorb the individuals Anxiety. It is very easy to allow others Anxiety, to Trigger yours. My coping mechanisms are to remove myself from the environment and remind myself that I have come a long way and I will not let others Anxiety elevate mine. Yup, these two actions keep me from having my Anxiety Triggered.
This took a lot of trial and error on my part, to identify what really worked for me. It is such an individual process and is as unique as an individual’s finger print. There is no set of rules to get you through your Anxiety Triggers. Honestly, it is all trial and error in your life. Eventually, you will figure out your own personal roadmap to coping with Anxiety Triggers. By now you are realizing that there is no magic pill and you must put the work in to cope with Triggers. Please don’t run from this challenge! I have to tell you that when you come out on the other side there is a sense of control, peace and accomplishment in your life. I recently was in an environment where an individual was exhibiting anxiety in our interactions. Initially, I began to notice that physical symptoms were beginning to surface in me. I noted it and that I needed to remove myself from the room. I sat and took a deep breath and said to myself,”I have come a long way to not let their anxiety impact my experiences and I will not let someone else’s Anxiety derail me.” Yup, that is all that I needed to do because I did the work. The work that I am asking you to put into yourself. I guarantee if you put in the work, you will reap the benefits of not allowing others to Trigger your Anxiety.
Life is unexpected! Gaining insight into your reactions to life will be your best friend in good and bad times. Having the knowledge internally to know how to cope when Anxiety occurs is your best shield of protection. Imagine that when your Anxiety is Triggered, you have a golden shield surrounding you. This shield is your insight and coping mechanisms protecting you. There is a great sense of peace, when we are able to protect ourselves. This will enhance your relationships with others. Keep in mind that we all are a work in progress and we will constantly need to identify Anxiety Triggers. Putting the work in now, will lead to a productive and happy lifestyle. Let’s get going on gaining insight into ourselves by spending a little quiet time identifying what makes you functional and dysfunctional. This power of knowledge will lead you through life in a mentally healthy manner of existence. We only have one time to go around, so let’s make it the healthiest emotionally that we have the power to.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS CREATE POSITIVE ENERGY
GO OUT AND EXPLORE ALL OF THE WIDE OPEN SPACES IN YOUR WORLD
CIAO
ILISE
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Hearts to all
