What are your emotional triggers?
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laprimaJenny
Posts: 1,495 Member
in Chit-Chat
We all have emotional triggers. A trigger is something that sets off a flashback transporting the person back to feeling the way they once felt previously due to a similar situation that sets off an automatic reaction within us.
Think of the warm feeling you get when you eat a hot dog at a baseball game because you used to do that with your father when you were young. Or that feeling you get when your boss makes a passive aggressive comment that might not be a huge deal to another person, but totally destabilizes you for the rest of the day.
So what are your emotional triggers? What’s the story behind it? How do you regulate these emotions? How do you choose to react to the situation?
Think of the warm feeling you get when you eat a hot dog at a baseball game because you used to do that with your father when you were young. Or that feeling you get when your boss makes a passive aggressive comment that might not be a huge deal to another person, but totally destabilizes you for the rest of the day.
So what are your emotional triggers? What’s the story behind it? How do you regulate these emotions? How do you choose to react to the situation?
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Replies
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When I smell fresh biscotti baking in the oven I immediately feel a sense of nostalgia. It reminds me of when my grandmother used to cook them for me when I was a child.4
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Mine are mainly music related.
For example - hearing George Michael reminds me of warm summer days playing in the garden of my childhood home; my mum used to have his albums on repeat and it just makes me happy because those were the best days.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - the Eva Cassidy version - transports me to the upstairs of a restaurant built in the Victorian period - I was about ten years old and I was out for lunch with my Aunt and Grandma, it was a cold December day and there was a Dickensian festival outside so it was really noisy. The fire was on, I was warm and happy. My Grandma hugged me as that song was playing. That memory makes me feel a little sad for some reason.
There are many more but we'd be here all day!5 -
Music is a huge one, as I’m sure it is with most people. I can listen to a band and it reminds me of maybe a certain gig or person. TV shows, golden age Simpsons transports me back to a time when all my family was together and I was a kid. It’s a comfort thing. I dunno, I’m probably just describing nostalgia there.
Seeing wealthy people treat retail and service workers with bad manners makes my blood boil sometimes. Like not even saying thank you or hello when communicating. Especially the younger ones, who have everything just handed to them. It just reminds me of how unjust the world is.
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Grandad
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I must be doing it wrong... mine are all negative.7
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I must be doing it wrong... mine are all negative.
Don’t worry you’re not alone. Mine are mostly negative as well. For example I mentioned earlier that I get triggered when my boss makes passive aggressive comments to me. I feel it’s mostly because he knows how defensive I naturally get when he critiques my proposals. This is most likely because my step father was overly critical of my homework and never praised me for when I did do well. However, its not like I automatically realize it’s because of my step father. This is where emotional triggers get tricky because there’s an emotional connection to something but we don’t have a clear path to why we feel that way.2 -
The smell of anything baking in the oven reminds me of my grandmother. When I was very young and my parents were going through a nasty divorce, my siblings and I lived with my grandmother. She constantly had pound cakes and pies in the oven. We were in always in the garden picking veggies or in the kitchen canning and cooking. Honestly it was the only time in my childhood that I remember or felt any kind of stability and joy. I miss her. She developed Alzhiemer's when I was a teenager and passed away after suffering with it for nearly 15 yrs. Her cook books and recipes are lost; something I will never be able to find again or replace.6
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Music is a huge one for me as well. My mother used to love Elvis, so anytime I hear his voice it automatically brings her to mind. Unfortunately most of the music that brings up nostalgic memories for me are in Italian so they are not worth mentioning. Although, Jesse’s girl will forever remind me of my one brother. Insensitive will forever remind me of my first love. Finally, heaven is one of those special songs that reminds me of my husband.2
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The Smell of Napalm in the Morning....4
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Jhene akio's "The Worst" takes me right back to a toxic mindset I had with an ex that I was obsessive about.
"Distraction" by Kehlani takes me back to when I was infatuated with my gf but before we were together and I was with an ex.
"Lost in the Fire" by The Weeknd makes me think of the breakup with the ex I left for my gf. He drunk texted me about a weeknd song playing in the background with some girl he was with and it set him off. He never said the song title but I knew it was this one.
I'll get back to this thread when I can think of stuff other than songs about my exs. :P3 -
Mayonnaise and mustard sandwiches. I love those things! And the memories.2
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The colors orange & white together.
I was 3 years old.
It was Summertime in Ohio.
It was Hot.
These were the colors of an inflatable swimming pool dad bought me for the backyard.1 -
the national anthem along with the American Flag. Bitter sweet really. Reminds me of going to school and pledging the allegiance, it was more of a patriotic time and unity. Knowing personally those that have sacrificed for the Flag and this nation that are either dead or wounded mentally or physically. Those who disrespect our flag and national anthem.....3
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jolly ranchers always remind me of the warm summers at the pool, we would all chose one flavor and be wet from swimming with towels drying off.2
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The nacho yellow cheese and chips...like what you might buy at ballpark...reminds me growing up in my neighborhood and saving change so I could go to the community pool and buy some snacks to eat during adult swim ...not sure thsts a trigger?4
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Cherry vodka reminds me of New Year's Eve 1999 when everyone was scared of Y2K and I got so wasted that my new husband had to carry me up 2 flights of stairs to our tiny apartment. I was so busy throwing up that I missed the countdown at midnight.
Btw, cherry vodka is a bad idea boys and girls. Bad, bad idea.3 -
music by the band Everclear reminds me of a time in the late 90s when I was in a horrible dysfunctional relationship and a "fun" 420 habit was turning dark as a bunch of my then-boyfriend's crowd were falling in with serious users (of other stuff). I can't even stand Art Alexakis' voice for this reason!
Anything coconut reminds me of suntan lotion, but that's a good thing. It feels like summer for a moment or two, even if I'm just drinking a coconut beverage in January.2 -
Motorsheen wrote: »
The colors orange & white together.
I was 3 years old.
It was Summertime in Ohio.
It was Hot.
These were the colors of an inflatable swimming pool dad bought me for the backyard.
That image ONLY reminds me of Whataburger and I'm not even Texan.1 -
Music. Especially Johnny Cash. My grand-father was my father figure growing up and he listend to him all the time. So many memories of him with Johnny Cash playing in the background ❤ I miss him dearly.
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