Need help understanding grief triggers?

Have you ever found yourself walking down an aisle at the grocery store and feeling the need of wanting to cry or just run out of the place altogether?

If not, have you ever sat at home, and while watching a TV show, you are overflown with a memory of your loved one, and your mood completely changes?

These are just outer laying signs of triggers. Triggers occur from scents, sounds, and sightings. As we all know, the brain stores memories and then reactivates when “triggered.” Understanding where your triggers come from can be very difficult, especially in the beginning months of grief. Triggers can be a survival method for our brains when we have anxiety. 

You may also realize some thoughts of anger, sadness, frustration, denial, etc. 

Some of the examples of triggers are:

• Milestones
• Special occasions/holidays
• Smells
• Sounds
• Music
• Conversations

Becoming mindful of your thoughts and feelings takes time, but knowing what caused you to feel like this and understanding how to manage it moving forward is essential.

Here are some tips on managing your triggers:

Become Mindful: Pay attention to how you’re feeling in the moment. Being mindful of your time and place will help you better understand and notice your trigger.

A Mood Journal: Journaling can make you aware of what triggered your moods. A journal can help you prevent them from happening in the future.

Rewiring your brain: Notice, shift and Rewire. Notice your thought, and shift your mind to something you’re grateful for. It only takes 15 seconds to rewire your thought process.

5,4,3,2,1 Method: Grounding yourself by looking around for five things you can see, four that you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.

Avoiding: Avoid places you aren’t able to remove yourself from.

Meditation: Grounding yourself, focusing on your breathing, and relaxing your mind from what happened.