Have you experienced a trigger? Triggers are when “out of no where” your system has a physical response to a sound, a memory, a picture etc. You can feel taken back into time. Sometimes you know they are coming and at other times you may be shocked, as it “came out of no where”. Maybe it’s an intrusive memory, or just a negative thought that seems to come at the inopportune moment.
We all have experienced these triggers at times in our lives. Sometimes these triggers take us down into a spiral of anxiety, sadness, fear, depression or anger. At other times we feel out of control with the trigger and we begin to practice avoidance: avoid going places, people, activities; maybe change our routes etc. All of these emotions and actions are real and valid.
But what if these triggers could be less harmful, less intrusive, and even made to be resolved? What if you we didn’t have to prepare, or change our schedules or avoid certain things all together?
I see, triggers as a response that at one time kept you safe, but was so overused that instead of keeping you safe, that trigger is now interrupting and making life uncomfortable for you. I see triggers as our system letting us know “something isn’t filed correctly”. Our brains were made to sort and file everything. We know our brain is still the fastest computer on earth! When one file or one memory is displaced or left out; we know everything in the system begins to respond to attempt to “correct”.
How do you deal with those “pesky” triggers? How can they be calmed and or resolved? We use an expression “put it to rest”. Rest is what we cry out for, what we strive for.
From my worldview, this is the Spirit crying out for what it was created to be. We were created to work, to live, to move, to be in a state of rest! We are at our best when we are connected and at rest. Our work days go smoother, our relationships tend to improve, but when we are not at rest, or the core of us, we begin to go down hill.
Building A Spiritual Foundation of REST
Your first step into being “at rest” is identify the trigger? What is it? What is the memory? The sound? When does it happen?
Journalling and taken notes sharpens your awareness. To be aware, is key to this first foundation.
If you are alerted to a trigger, CALM, yourself. Take a deep breathe. I invite people to think about their feet, do they feel heavy or light? Take this as an opportunity for you to know your system and how it is responding. Sometime just placing a hand on that part of your body that feels stressed can help calm the system. i.e. neck ,stomach, diaphragm, shoulders, knees. A simple deep inhalation can help.
Being aware, does not mean judge. It simply means to acknowledge. No long explanations, no excuses. Just a simple statement of “this is when I am triggered” Or I don’t know when it comes and I am scared. Keep this part of your journal short and neutral.
Next, BE CURIOUS! I know it sounds strange, but when we approach a problem from curiosity, we tend to solve it quicker and we see things clearly. When we approach a problem from a frustrated viewpoint, we are restless within and literally our brains tend to get cloudy (thanks to neuroscience we have seen that in our brains). We can’t see in a fog.
Begin to ask yourself questions. You know yourself the best! It is here in the state of CURIOSITY that the answer, and the truth is found. I have found that the more curious clients are, the deeper we journey together and they find the solution!
Next time we will explore triggers and how we can discover some true and false beliefs we have accepted into our systems.
This is your invitation to begin to build a foundation or build a higher understanding of your spirit at rest in the day to day activities of life.