What Are Your Triggers?

[Lion]

Army field belts. If I see one I get that uneasy feeling that I am going to be on the receiving end again.
Old Barns-where the belt did it's thing.
Handguns

 

[Irton Pike]

News stories about people with cancer. Other illnesses, no problem.
RTAs

Death of blokes in their thirties from the above, leaving bairns without fathers. I see it as an act of betrayal.

 

[Rivergirl]

Sorry what's an RTA?

 

[Irton Pike]

Sorry, RTA = Road Traffic Accident.

So, for example, watching rally car driving on the telly is an absolute no no for me! Which is OK cos i always hated motorsports. But if i see a car flying through woods and mountains I start with the flashbacks.

A few weeks ago I was on holiday in Wales and drove past the site of an accident where a car had gone off the road into a tree. That had me shaking in my underpants and I had to go into some deep breathing and listening to music to get me through.

 

[pandora]

Reading others triggers is actually getting to me so that is a trigger.

Baseball uniforms.
The smell of sweat.
Alot of smells that even remotely smell dirty...really get me now.
The site of blood. (this is awful for me as I am a nurse)
male genitals.
loud noises
Yelling
Watching abuse of any kind on the tv...have to turn the station.
Funerals
Dead people...even seeing that on tv.
The site of caskets
The dentist and the suffocatting feeling
Certain medical exams...internals, colonoscopy and gastroscopy
large groups
Not knowing an exit
Going into a large store and fear of seeing people from my past that I know, especially family on my fathers side.
Being touched when not expected or wanted


In all that being said...I can say that I have learned how to deal with these triggers to a certain extent, realizing the triggers is the first step and then we learn how to make changes to accomodate all the triggers, we may have. IMO......not to say i have learned this for all the triggers yet but some seem more manageable.

 

[Acer]

there are so many, I don't even know them, any of them. It seems like they occur constantly. My therapist says when I get scared I need to control so that is my primary defense mechanism, but I guess the triggers (everything that make me scared somehow) have to primarily do with interpersonal interaction/communication. But within that category, anything and everything seems to trigger me (at times). I don't even know where to begin to list the triggers or how. Does anyone know how?

 

[Acer]

these seem similar to what I experience...fear of rejection/ridicule/dislike/judgment, all this interpersonal stuff that I can't predict or control or even know for sure if it IS happening.

Being stared at by people and then them talking and I can't hear speaking.
getting glanced at by strangers and acquaintances that I can't ask 'what are you thinking/looking at?'
people not agreeing with me, that means I am dumb or wrong or bad somehow
'constructive' criticism feels cruel and scary
people telling me what to do, ever
people telling me how I should feel, ever 'you shouldn't feel that way, it isn't that bad'.
feeling like my feelings have not been acknowledged
lack of acknowledgment
being blown off


wow, these lists are starting to help me see mine.



"

1. New situations where I need to prove myself (i.e. new job) - because I will surely make mistakes and then everyone will hate me and I'll be outcast, fired, unemployed, lose my house, be humiliated and end up on the street.
2. Making a mistake - I'll be judged, rejected, object of contempt/anger that I won't be able to protect myself from....I'll be annihilated, overwhelmed.
3. People's anger, judgment, rejection, and/or contempt - If all of "them" reject me it must be true (I'm worthless, unloveable, etc, etc).
4. Being observed/watched - I feel vulnerable; I'm not on guard; they may see something in me that I want to keep hidden (i.e. the sneaking suspicion that I am innately rotten will prove to be true).

Dylan "

 

[Moonshadow]

I'm still learning how to recognize my triggers. Here are a few that come to mind.

People yelling at me - This is a big one. My daughter yells and screams at me, sometimes, and it puts me in a tailspin. When that happens, I often yell back, which makes me feel worse. Then, she acts like I'm being mean. It's a vicious cycle.

Housework - There is constant clutter all around me. When I try to clean it up, I get so overwhelmed, I want to run and hide. I feel like my cluttered house mirrors my cluttered mind. It especially pisses me off, that I'm expected to clean it all up, even though I'm not the only one to make the mess.

Washing dishes - This is my least favorite chore. I've had to wash dishes since the age of 9, and they just keep coming. As soon as I've cleaned them all up, there is another dish in the sink. I don't want to make my kids do it, since I know how awful it was for me, as a kid. The funny thing is, my kids want to wash dishes, but I'm afraid they'll do it wrong, or hurt themselves, or break dishes. What the hell is wrong with me?

Feeling like a failure - This one feeds on itself, since I can't get the house clean, or keep up on the never ending deluge of dishes and laundry. If there's anything I can't do well, I feel like a failure.

People who look like my stepfather - When they were showing pictures of Saddam Hussein on TV, I couldn't watch. The resemblance was uncanny. I had a panic attack in the waiting room of a doctor's office, when a guy came in who, looked like him.

People staring at me - I want to run away and hide.

Men talking to me - Especially strangers. If I know them, it's not quite as bad, but still uncomfortable.

Being touched by people other than my husband or children - Especially when people want to hug me. Christmastime is difficult, like that.

The month of November - Many bad things associated with that time of year.

People wearing masks - I'm fine, if I know who's under the mask, or at least, not as freaked. Ironically, I still love Halloween.

Having to go out in public - It consumes my whole day, and leaves me exhausted. The more days in a row I have to go out, the more exhausted and edgy I feel.

Being told what to do - I will often do the opposite, if it's something I want to do.

Cold weather - The winters here are brutal, and my body aches with the cold.

Animals suffering & dying - This is why I am vegan. I cannot stand the way animals are treated in our world. Animals feel pain, just as much as we do, even though they cannot put those feelings into words.

The taste of semen - I won't go into detail about this one.

 

[Moonshadow]

Wow, that was draining.
Apparently, writing about my triggers is a trigger, too.

 

[Seychelle]

I discovered another one last night - the sound of my partner undoing the belt on his jeans. I freaked out briefly and he said he'd known for a while that was a trigger but hadn't mentioned it because when I first become concious of a trigger, it's more raw, and this year has been very raw already.

 

[lost girl]

harsh criticism
contempt
violence (even non-directed at people)
yelling
being ignored
any feeling of being experimented on mentally or physically or being tested for a reaction
relentless tickling
certain innocent touches from lovers
light touch

 

[Acer]

ok some more or maybe a repeat of the ones I said

yelling at me
telling me to shut up or be quiet
the smell of stink bugs or maybe the plants they live around (I think this relates to the alley behind my house)
not being listened to
being ignored
criticism without warning
wool military style blankets
70's station wagons
men with dark hair and really full beards

more to come I am sure. This is really helping me.