4 Tips To Help With PTSD Triggers

Everyone has had some negative experiences in the past. As a result, those painful memories can sometimes be triggered and cause fresh discomfort. For someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, such triggers can induce frighteningly extreme reactions. Put simply, they’ve endured a traumatic event and the trigger makes their brain react as if it is happening again. 

PTSD triggers feel like sneak attacks but due to the long-term impact of the disorder, they are there all the time. Fortunately, effective treatments for PTSD exist. In the meantime, there are useful steps you can take to help cope with the triggers. 

4 Tips To Help With PTSD Triggers

1. Increase Your Awareness 

The more you know about OTSD triggers, the less impact they have on you. So, let’s review some critical basics:

2 Types of PTSD Triggers

Internal

sitting woman touching neck while in bed

  • Vulnerability 

  • Anger

  • Loneliness and/or sadness

  • Frustration

  • Anxiety

  • Unexplained muscle tension or pain

  • Any kind of unexplained pain 

  • Racing heartbeat

  • Feeling abandoned

  • Certain memories

  • A sense of being out of control

External

  • These are reminders that arrive outside the body. They may include sensory input like smells, a holiday or anniversary, or a certain geographical place. Other common external triggers are:
    Having the kind of argument that reminds you of the event

  • Encountering any kind of content that contains similar elements to your traumatic event

  • Witnessing a traumatic event happening to someone else

  • Ending a relationship

  • Crossing paths with anyone who reminds you of a person who hurt you

2. Grounding

PTSD triggers cause you to time travel. You leave the present moment to live in a fearful version of the past. Grounding brings you back to the present where it is safer. A common and helpful grounding technique is called 5-4-3-2-1:

  • Look around and name 5 things you see.

  • Find and name 4 things can touch —and touch them, if possible.

  • Identify and name 3 items in your vicinity that you can hear.

  • Recognize and name 2 things you can smell.

  • Acknowledge 1 food or drink item you can taste. Literally taste it, if possible. If not, clearly visualize its flavor, texture, temperature, etc. 

3. Practicing Self-Care Techniques 

woman breathing in garden of flowers

  • Keeping a journal

  • Deep breathing exercises 

  • Maintaining steady sleep routines

  • Mindfulness and meditation

  • Healthy eating choices

  • Daily exercise and physical activity 

  • Creating a strong social support system 

4. Exposure 

Sometimes, the more you encounter and confront a trigger, the less power it has. You can perform this type of exposure therapy on your own. However, getting input and guidance from your therapist is advisable, too. For the sake of example, let’s say you’ve experienced a car accident, and it resulted in PTSD. Your graduated exposure might look like this:

  • Start by thinking about cars, in general

  • From there, picture yourself safely riding in a car

  • Watch cars as they cruise past you without incident

  • Sit in a parked car for as long as you’re comfortable

  • Ride in a car as a passenger with someone you trust driving 

  • Sit in the driver’s seat of a parked car and start the engine

  • Ask a trusted friend or family member to join you as you take a short, safe ride

Each step might last for a few days but do not graduate to the next one until you feel you’re ready.

Therapy Can Be Your Foundation

Post-traumatic stress disorder can feel like a debilitating and ever-present force. But you can recover and heal. With professional support, people do so every day. They process and resolve the traumatic memories and go on to live full lives. If PTSD triggers are hampering your ability to function, it is essential that you reach out for the help you need and deserve. To read more click Trauma and PTSD Treatment.