This Week's Practice: Meeting Triggers with Curiosity

 Hi there,

Last week, I wrote about grounding as a way back into the body — how simple tools like breath and sensory cues can help regulate our nervous systems and restore presence. I thought I’d tucked that lesson away for future reference.

But then we traveled. A long-awaited trip to Singapore and Bali — beautiful, celebratory, and still… triggering.

At the Singapore airport, in the middle of a crowded security line, I noticed my husband freeze. His posture shifted. His jaw tightened. His voice got clipped. My own chest started to tighten in response. And there it was — the swirl of tension and confusion we both felt but couldn’t quite name.

It would’ve been easy to brush it off as jet lag or stress. But instead, I paused and asked myself: What’s really happening here? Not just in him — but in me.

Later that night, I realized what had been stirred: old patterns. For him, perhaps memories of disorientation in crowded spaces. For me, the panic of not knowing how to help or the urge to regulate everyone around me. Neither of us had done anything wrong. But our bodies were holding stories.

And that brought me back to a lesson I’ve learned again and again:
✨ Triggers aren’t signs of weakness. They’re wisdom. They’re messengers.

🧠 What Is a Trigger?

A trigger is anything — internal or external — that reactivates a past wound or survival response. It could be a sensory cue like a scent or sound. Or it could be relational — someone’s tone of voice, a moment of being dismissed, a feeling of being left out.

You don’t need a PTSD diagnosis to experience this. We all carry emotional imprints — moments when we felt unsafe, unseen, or powerless. Our nervous systems remember and try to protect us.

Here’s the key: a trigger doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means your body is doing what it’s designed to do. The work is gently reminding it: This is now. I’m safe enough.

🌿 This Week’s Practice: Name, Notice, Ground

This week, I’m practicing noticing my triggers without shame. Here’s how:

1. Name what’s happening: “I’m feeling activated.”
2. Notice: “Where have I felt this before?”
3. Ground: Hand on heart. Three steady breaths. A simple phrase: “This is an echo, not a threat.”

This isn’t about avoiding triggers. It’s about meeting them with more presence, compassion, and agency.

💛 What I’m Loving This Week

• Sound: The rustle of leaves outside my window — a reminder that even in stillness, there’s movement.
• Practice: Pausing after tough conversations to ask, What’s here? What needs care?
• Tool: A worry stone in my pocket. When I feel activated, I press it between my fingers and whisper, “This is an echo, not a threat.”
• Quote: “Not a flaw, just a flashback.”
• Song: “The Night We Met” – Lord Huron — melancholic yet grounding.

This week, I invite you to notice:
🌱 What patterns can I greet with curiosity instead of shame?

With care,
Lisa