Triggers with Constructive Impacts: Understanding, Illustrations, and Applications
Mental health is a vital aspect of our overall well-being, and understanding the factors that impact it can help us navigate through challenging times. One such factor is the concept of triggers, which can significantly influence our emotional responses.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), triggers are actions or situations that can cause an adverse emotional reaction, often associated with mental illness. However, it's essential to note that triggers can also be positive, eliciting a positive emotional response.
Positive triggers can be found in various forms, ranging from moments of gratitude, accomplishment, connection, or relaxation, to activities like journaling, mindfulness exercises, and engaging in hobbies. Dr. Menije Boduryan-Turner, a licensed psychologist, defines positive triggers as stimuli that bring about a positive feeling in a person, such as confidence, joy, gratitude, and hopefulness.
Common positive triggers include gratitude reminders, positive social interactions, mindfulness or grounding exercises, reflecting on past successes or strengths, and engaging in hobbies or activities you enjoy. These can be utilized for emotional well-being by deliberately incorporating them into daily routines to enhance emotional awareness, regulate mood, and build resilience.
For instance, positive journaling can improve mood, reduce depressive symptoms, increase gratitude, and help recognize emotional triggers early, enabling better stress management. Mindfulness and emotional awareness practices allow early detection of emotional changes and facilitate thoughtful responses rather than impulsive reactions, which helps regulate anxiety and fosters psychological resilience.
In practice, positive triggers are used by writing daily about positive experiences or feelings to build gratitude and reframe negative thoughts into adaptive ones, pausing to notice physical signs of emotion and using breathing or grounding techniques to maintain calm, reflecting on triggers associated with positive emotions to intentionally cultivate them and strengthen coping skills, and using social interactions as triggers for connection and support, improving relationships and emotional stability.
However, stress and anxiety can sometimes cause positive triggers to go unnoticed. In such cases, Dr. Menije suggests using positive triggers during the day to counteract intense negative emotions, such as playing a favorite song when feeling anxious.
Moreover, the balance of a person's positive and negative emotions can help predict their judgment of their overall well-being. A 2017 study found a positive loop associated with positive activities, kindness, and a person's well-being. Engaging in positive activities not only improves a person's overall well-being but can also create a cycle of positivity.
Mental health resources are available at a dedicated hub for more information and resources on mental health and well-being. By consciously identifying and using positive triggers, we can foster healthier emotional responses and support our overall mental well-being.
- The study in 2017 discovered a positive loop linked with positive activities, kindness, and a person's well-being.
- Positive journaling can enhance emotional awareness, reduce depressive symptoms, and help manage stress effectively.
- Dr. Menije Boduryan-Turner calls stimuli that bring about positive feelings in a person positive triggers.
- Utilizing social interactions as triggers for connection and support can improve relationships and emotional stability, contributing to overall mental well-being.
