Coping with Triggers

Triggers can be very limiting and you may find that you go out of your way to avoid them. But there are other ways that you can help to deal with triggers while still keeping yourself safe.

• You could think about your triggers and look at the ones you could work on while still feeling safe. Perhaps friends or a support worker could work on this with you. For instance, you may stay at home because going outside triggers a panic attack. Going for short distances with someone you trust may help you work on this.
  
• Or you may try to visualise yourself doing something that you fear may trigger a flashback or panic attack, or make you feel anxious before you actually do it. For instance, you may become very distressed going on the bus but you could go through a process of visualisation where you are at the bus stop, getting on the bus, sitting through your journey, then getting off at your stop and the entire process being anxiety free and enjoyable. You may want to have a friend with you while you are doing this visualisation so that you know you have support while you are working through this process.
  
• You may want to talk through your fears with a friend, a support worker or a counsellor. You may want to think about how you feel while talking about your fears, what makes you feel uncomfortable and what helped.