What Your Triggers Are Trying to Teach You

Laura Weiner-Kiser
Aug 12
2 min read

We often treat triggers like landmines—things to avoid, suppress, or apologize for. But what if our triggers aren’t just reactions to avoid… what if they’re messages to explore?

At Change by Challenge, we believe that triggers are not signs of weakness. They’re signs of wounding. And with the right support and awareness, they can also become portals to deeper healing.

Triggers = Teachers

A trigger is your nervous system sounding an alarm. It’s saying: “Hey, something here feels familiar—and not safe.”

It might be rooted in a past experience, a childhood pattern, a wound that never fully healed. That spike in emotion, the physical tension, the shut-down or the overreaction? That’s not you being dramatic—it’s your body remembering.

And what if you treated that memory, that response, not as something to fix or judge—but as something to listen to?

Common Misconceptions About Triggers

We tend to internalize some harmful beliefs around our triggers, like:

“I need to get over this.”
“I’m being too sensitive.”
“Other people don’t react this way—what’s wrong with me?”

But the truth is, your triggers are evidence of lived experience. They are your nervous system's way of trying to keep you safe. And they become opportunities for growth only when we stop shaming them.

How to Work With, Not Against, Your Triggers

Notice Without Judgment Instead of instantly reacting or shutting down, practice noticing the moment you’re triggered. Take a breath. Get curious.
Name What’s Happening Try: “I’m feeling really activated right now. Something in this moment reminds me of a past experience.”
Ask: What Does This Remind Me Of? Sometimes triggers point directly to a past wound. Other times, they mirror unmet needs, fears, or unresolved emotions.
Respond With Compassion You don’t need to justify your trigger to anyone. What matters is that you treat yourself with kindness in the aftermath.