Triggers are a stimulus that causes a reaction. They can create insecurity, low self-esteem, shame, panic attacks, negative body image, and stress, which in turn, cause us to react. Triggers can pull out bad habits and addictive behaviors in all of us. In my life, triggers always seemed to conjure up some type of food related response. When I think about it, reacting to circumstances in a negative way with food is not controlling the situation, it’s controlling me.
When feelings of low self-esteem, stress, and shame start to surface inside of you and you want to react to triggers, ask yourself,
- Do the circumstances around me have to control the way I view myself?
- Is my reaction to the trigger helpful or harmful to myself?
- If someone else were in my place, how would I suggest they react?
Responding to triggers in a negative way is really just learned behavior. It can become an easy habit to connect the trigger with the reaction. Find some new ways to cope with your triggers. Go for a walk or call a good friend and talk through how you feel. It might take some time to retrain your brain when you encounter a trigger. Remember the hardest part is identifying a trigger and replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones instead of reacting in a way that is destructive.