Do you know what an “Invisible Trigger” is?
I’ll never forget the first time I experienced the power of it!
On this one day, I was feeling extremely irritable, anxious, and ready for a fight. All very opposite feelings from how I usually am.
It took me several hours of struggling and then it hit me like a lightening bolt…
The Date!
All of a sudden, I realized what the date was. It was my father’s birthday.
Now you might be thinking to yourself: ‘Carol, how could you forget something as important as your father’s birthday?’
Well that’s a fair question. Here’s how…
My father died when I was just 14 years old. The year was 1977 and I can tell you my coping skills back then were non-existent!
My ‘Survival Tool’ at the time was to DISCONNECT.
The moment my mother told me my father had passed away, The immediate thought in my head was: ‘I’m just going to go on as if he was never there in the first place.’
This was my brain’s way of protecting me from the horrific overwhelm I would have felt if I acknowledged his death.
Our brains know a thing or two about survival! And many times, they will react without asking us for permission!
So, that stayed my way of coping with my father’s death for many, many years.
It wasn’t until I finally got in to therapy in my 30’s till that changed!
Which brings me back to an “Invisible Trigger”.
These are the unseen events or triggers that are “hardwired” in to our brain. We may not even be conscious of them until we are side-swiped by them.
For me, ever since that first time when it caught me completely off guard – I am now more aware of it.
That doesn’t mean I can stop it!
It means I am better prepared to recognize what is going on, use some positive self-talk & other LifeTOOLS to help me ride it out like a wave. (It’s just temporary & will come to an end!).
I hope this has been helpful. Let me know your thoughts below in the comment box.
See you next week!
~ To Living Well TODAY! ~
via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
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