Managing trauma triggers day to day

Managing trauma triggers day to day can feel draining, especially when triggers appear unexpectedly. For many of us, they can come at the most inconvenient times as well! Not ideal.

Triggers are reminders of past trauma. They can be obvious, such as certain places, or subtle, like a tone of voice or a smell.

Your body usually reacts before your mind even understands what is happening. It can be quite scary.

Recognising your triggers

Managing trauma triggers day to day often starts with gentle awareness. Trying to see where the patterns form over a period of time.

Ask yourself what was happening just before your reaction. Keeping a journal of when you are triggered can help you to see where the patterns are. (If you are having therapy for trauma this is also a good thing to give to your therapist)

Common triggers can include:

• Loud noises or raised voices
• Feeling criticised or trapped
• Situations where you feel out of control
• Certain places (even if it is not where the trauma occurred)
• Certain smells (like someone else’s aftershave, food smell, or even petrol fumes)

What helps in the moment

When a trigger hits, remind yourself that this is a memory response, not a current threat. This may take some practise but when done each time it happens over time your response should start to lessen.

Some helpful techniques include:

• Saying your name, age, and today’s date out loud. Reminding yourself that you are not in any current danger. You can whisper this or even say it in your head but really try and focus on the words
• Holding something solid and noticing its texture- A grounding technique used to refocus your mind on something else. Carrying something around in your pocket or bag can help with this.
• Looking around and naming what you can see.- Or use the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method. I mention this method in a lot of my blogs on here so give them a read.

Managing trauma triggers day to day is not about avoiding life.

It is about giving yourself tools to return to the present when your body is pulled into the past.

There is a full podcast episode on The Talk Room which I co-host with Ian Stockbridge on EMDR and Trauma. Watch the full episode on my You Tube channel