What are your triggers and how do you manage them?

[UmbrellaEllaEllaElla]

I have ADHD and GAD.

My triggers are:

• Hearing people announce big life changes (engagement, marriage, babies, a move). For some reason it always makes me feel like a failure/sense of panic.

• When there's a lot to do in a very short time (can easily lead to overwhelm/shutdown)

• Too much time on social media (I automatically compare myself and then comes the self-loathing.)

I try to manage these by limiting time on social media, journalling, talking to a friend, therapy, white noise, YouTube therapy videos, and giving myself some time to re-regulate.

What are yours and what do you do?

Probably would be easier to say what ISNT a trigger at this point 🙈 I have PTSD, GAD, Health anxiety, emetophobia, germphobia.

• hospitals & doctors surgeries. Even talking to doctors on the phone.
• Feeling nauseous.
• Anyone else being sick or saying they feel like they might be sick.
• Fevers / rashes
• new medications
• Using public bathrooms.
• touching certain things in public or other people's homes.
• travelling.
• Anyone being diagnosed with cancer.
• Anyone dying or funerals.

there's probably more but these are the most prominent ones. What I do is try to avoid these things at all costs which I know is the worst tactic in the world however there ARE times when I must (or don't have a choice especially as a mother and someone who has chronic health conditions) to come into contact with these situations and so what I do is I use headphones to listen to meditations and affirmations, I use deep breathing exercises, I try to practice as much self care as possible.

I have PTSD, GAD (mostly health anxiety these days) My main triggers are:

•scans (especially ultrasounds but any kind of scan really)
• news stories of children/babies getting hurt or worse in some way. I can't even type it and can't even read beyond headlines in news articles or I'm upset for weeks/months)
•Baby loss awareness week (simultaneously a trigger but also helps me in some ways too)
•my dad doing just about anything (difficult relationship)
•too much mess/dirt/clutter around the home (feels overwhelming)
•worries about my children getting hurt/injured in some way (I still check my 7 year old is breathing during the night)

I think I have a healthy level of control over my symptoms, or at least I feel it's as good as can be. I lost 3 babies all missed miscarriages which accounts for many of my triggers. But I have always suffered from anxiety issues. Weirdly the losses actually removed a lot of day to day anxieties I used to get, I guess nothing afterwards felt as bad as that felt for me, maybe that's why I'm not sure. I also am hugely grateful for my rainbow baby and to have two healthy children. I truly appreciate how lucky I am to have them. I manage my symptoms by keeping busy but also it's a balancing act, getting over tired makes it much worse

Noise.

Being in pain.

Changes in my body.

• Too many messages/notifications on my phone. Adds to my general sense of 'drowning'.
• Too much noise or conversation.
• Messy house.
• Lots of stuff around having to see people really. I love my friends but I find this so difficult for many reasons that make no sense to anyone who doesn't feel like this.

I turn my phone off a lot, often for weeks at a time. I don't have WhatsApp anymore and I don't use SM. My house is pretty tidy all the time. And although I am in no way recommending it for this reason, I'm currently on Mounjaro and finding that since starting that my anxiety is enormously reduced for the first time in decades.

Noise
Mess in the kitchen that no-one come to help with
My husband frowning (I know that's fucked up)
Hearing my husband say he doesn't trust me
Online bullying

Sorry did not say how I manage thise
I keep the house clean and tidy as much as possible
I stay home where it's quiet or go to quiet places like woodlands
Don't hang around lots of people
I don't post any stuff online stuff which can incite critical judgmental remarks
For my husband I try to point it out as gently as possible but often it leads to spiralling conflict due to frustration or sadness from me.