Emotional Triggers: Mirrors to Greater Wholeness in Yourself

Mirrors are mysterious portals that reflect more than just the physical surface.. Sometimes you can look in a mirror and understand who you are perfectly; other times you may barely even recognize yourself.. Whether you feel connected or disconnected in your reflection, there is an unwavering truth: the mirror shows you depth within. 

Your reality goes way deeper than the surface.. 95% of your day is influenced by your subconscious mind- your thoughts, emotions, beliefs, memories all reside in this subconscious terrain and your behavior, actions and decisions are taken from this place. Most of your life, how you live it, and how you perceive the world is governed by this part of your brain. This can uncover a lot about yourself. You see, there are mirrors all around the world, not just in frames in rooms. You can find mirrors that reflect you in other people, situations, places, on social media, in daily tasks. 

Your Emotional Triggers- the physical sensations that arise in response to life- are the mirror's shining light on what was once shadowed. Will you look into the looking glass?

An emotional trigger is a stimulus that awakens a past experiences and/or feelings. It can have positive or negative associations and can show you part of yourself that wants to be recognized. 

Though emotional triggers can initiate a spark of exciting inspiration to activate you, oftentimes, they feel overwhelming with feelings of jealousy, sadness, or anger. When you get triggered, it’s normal to think the problem is outside of you – putting blame on someone or something for how you feel. But what if you switched your perspective? 

What if you viewed your triggers as mirrors, reflecting back hidden parts of yourself that call to be embodied?

Triggers are powerful mirrors for self-awareness. When a strong emotional reaction is elicited, it’s often because it touches an unhealed wound or insecurity. For example, swiping on an instagram post showcasing a perfect morning routine may ignite an anxious sense of co-dependency or feeling rejected in a conversation might stir up a deep fear of not being good enough. Whether the trigger surfaces a reaction that seems logical to the actual situation or not, it reveals underlying beliefs, and offers an opportunity to address them.

Rather than reacting to the outside world impulsively, triggers invite you to reflect, pause and look inward. There is a chance to explore where you may have been hurt, reveal hidden parts of yourself, show where you need to fill up with love and develop compassion. By having curious eyes to see into your triggers, you can find deeper layers of your being and integrate any parts that may have been unacknowledged,  ignored, or suppressed.

In facing the mirror, your emotional triggers guide you to transform and grow. This is not always easy or a quick-fix process, but with time, you’ll be led to greater wholeness, authenticity, and self-acceptance with full-circle understanding.

Soo.. Let’s look into the mirror!

Follow the steps below when you get triggered. (You may not always be able to follow this process immediately when you get triggered but you can always reflect after the situation. If you can write this down in a journal or type it into your notes app, it will support you in tracking and getting it out of your system.)

1. Notice when you feel triggered. What’s happening? What did you hear, see, feel? Where are you? Who are you with? What’s the situation?  You’ll know it’s a trigger when you experience an abrupt, sudden feeling; it’s like a sensation that encapsulates you. Triggers take you out of the moment immediately & into thoughts, emotions, physical responses, memories, or urges to react.

2. Take note of what arises. Pay attention to physical sensations you experience, what feelings are coming up, what emotions surface and what thoughts circulate.

3. Open and hold space. (Think as if you’re approaching a child tenderly with curiosity),  acknowledge this part of you & inquire why you are feeling triggered: “I see you are triggered, why?” 

4. Tend to this part of yourself. Now ask this triggered part: “How can I support you? What can I do to calm this trigger? What do you think is a solution to this trigger?”  

5. Honor yourself. Thank yourself for taking the time to do this, give yourself a little hug, take a deep breath in-and-out. If possible, take action- do whatever you can to support yourself and follow up with a solution to the trigger.

This 5-step process is a concise way to become conscious of triggers and reflect into yourself, it will not always provide a sense of completion, however, it will give insight, inspiration, hope, clarity, and space to relax your nerves. 

Considering that you feel your triggers first, body awareness is so important in bringing attention to them.

Breathwork is an effective practice to become more connected with your body, open into the wisdom of your senses, increase consciousness and heal underlying beliefs, emotions and memories stored in the subconscious mind. Join me in a breathwork session 1:1 or in a group. This is like soul work that weaves harmony through your mind and body into your life experience so you can flow from your truth! You’ll become so aware of triggers in the moment and be empowered to respond in alignment with who you truly are when you relax into your breath and body. 

You have the ability to transform your life, there is so much power you open into when you embrace your triggers as mirrors, you’ll witness yourself becoming the most complete and radiant version of YOU!!

Share your thoughts in the comments or message me on Instagram @evolvingwithellis if you'd like to chat more about triggers.

XOXO,

Katie Ellis