Do you feel people unnecessarily make you angry or hurt you? Do you think you get triggered easily?
When you are faced with a situation where people target you, what do you do then? Do you immediately lash out at them? Do you sit in a corner and vent or do you run away?
Well, whatever may be the case for you. In this blog post, you will find multiple ways to deal with your triggers and how to manage your responses after you get triggered by a specific thing or person.
The need to understand the emotional fog
In our day-to-day experiences, we all go through incidents that bring out the worst in us. The point is to recognize them and heal them so that we do not hurt our loved ones.
At times, the emotions you go through when your core beliefs are triggered, it's normal to feel intolerable and overwhelming. However, our quick reactions or go-to coping strategies exacerbate the situation and make us feel worse about ourselves.
Some of your coping strategies may make you feel better in the short term (e.g., smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol may relieve your anxiety or panic), but you will eventually experience pain—and in the long run, these coping strategies provide no relief and may cause additional problems.
Hence, I have decided to share some helpful coping behaviors that may help you deal with such situations easily.
Distracting/helpful coping behaviors to help you with unwanted situations
It becomes vital to engage in a powerful, healthy, and distracting activity when things are upside down instead of recklessly following an unhealthy and toxic pattern.
Therefore, here are some useful ways to help you clear the emotional fog until you feel better on your own:
1. Exercising- Exercise releases endorphins, a natural pain reliever and antidepressant that improves mood and contributes to overall well-being, which lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone). Any type of physical activity has been shown to have a positive impact on blood pressure, weight, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insomnia, depression, anxiety, bone density, muscle strength, immune system, and joint mobility.
2. Hobbies and interests- A hobby or a particular interest can also be a source of distraction. Choose an activity right away if there is something you have always wanted to do or do more of. Any positive activity that can help you focus your attention on something creative or productive should be further encouraged. Housework, journaling, meditation, sewing, shopping, going out, reading, and playing are a few examples.
3. Volunteering- When you get flooded with negative experiences and you feel this rage to tackle the situation asap, that is where a distracting activity helps. There is no better way to feel good other than to help someone in need. Because at this moment, your focus is only on helping the other person without thinking about your own problem. Try offering soup to the homeless or taking the dog of your elderly neighbor on a walk.
4. To-do list- Another excellent way to distract yourself from stress is to divert your attention to a to-do list. Your list could include household chores, organizational tasks, or personal projects. Some activities to keep yourself busy for a while can be ironing clothes, cleaning out the car, moving old clothes out from a closet, painting your home, washing windows, or sorting the mail. Do anything as per your convenience.
5. Self-care- I personally love this one. I am sure you guys would too like to do something for yourself. Engaging in a relaxing and soothing activity to pamper yourself is another way of showing love towards yourself. Pick out any self-care activity that you know will brighten up your day and make your muscles relax and get indulged into it. But please keep in mind that you should not become addicted to it. You simply cannot afford to spend your money on a manicure and pedicure every day. Try it yourself or do something else like watching the sun, listening to a guided meditation, taking a bath, etc.
Conclusion
Hence, these were some of the options that could help you combat negative thoughts and feelings. When you follow these steps, dealing with your emotional pain and triggers becomes simple.
Remember to Respond before you React!
In my e-book, It All Starts With You, I have listed multiple strategies to practice self-love that will boost your morale and improve your mental well-being.
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