To stop getting triggered easily, practice self-regulation by pausing before reacting, using deep breathing or mindfulness to calm your nervous system, identifying and understanding your specific triggers through journaling, setting healthy boundaries, and seeking therapy for deeper trauma if needed, focusing on self-compassion and exploring the past roots of reactions.
What causes triggering? Triggering is often caused when something that is going on in the present reminds us, in some way, of something difficult or unpleasant that happened in the past. These can be properly traumatic events, or simply very difficult events from earlier in our lives, often from childhood.
Practical tips for daily self-regulation
Steps and strategies to tackle your worries
5 ways to gain control over your emotions
The “90-second rule,” introduced by Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, reveals that an emotional surge in the body lasts only about 90 seconds—unless we mentally keep it alive.
Personality and Temperament: Some people are naturally more emotionally attuned and sensitive to the world around them — a beautiful strength, not a flaw. Mental Health Struggles: Anxiety, depression, and burnout often make emotions feel closer to the surface, leading to easier tears.
Physical signs of stress
Averaged across coders, 91.39% of all worries did not come true (91.08% for the first coder and 91.70% for the second). In other words, 8.61% of worries came true. In regard to the percentages calculated per person, the average percentage of untrue worries was 89.60% per person (SD = 13.12%; 10.4% true worries).
The Five Signs encouraged people to ask if they or their loved ones were not feeling themselves, feeling withdrawn, feeling agitated, feeling hopeless or not caring for themselves. A longtime mental health advocate, Broderick discovered the program and introduced it to New Hampshire.
Think about what you are feeling before, during and after a trigger. You might feel a sudden rush of sadness, discomfort, anxiety or eagerness to use. You may also have chest pain or react violently. Knowing how you react to a trigger can help you identify when a one is present.
Common signs and symptoms include:
If the brain continues to perceive something as dangerous, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which travels to the pituitary gland, triggering the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone travels to the adrenal glands, prompting them to release cortisol.
ADHD rage, or emotional dysregulation, looks like sudden, intense, and disproportionate emotional outbursts (meltdowns or shutdowns) triggered by minor stressors, involving yelling, crying, physical reactions (stomping, clenching fists, throwing things), extreme irritability, or complete withdrawal, stemming from difficulty regulating intense feelings like anger, frustration, or sadness. It feels like a "volcanic eruption" of emotions that seem to come out of nowhere, often overwhelming the individual and disrupting daily life.
Borderline Personality Disorders (BPD)
Borderline Personality Disorder is characterized by intense emotions, fear of abandonment and unstable relationships. People with BPD often experience intense anger, known as “borderline rage,” which can be disproportionate to the situation.
Try these stress management tips:
You may experience symptoms such as:
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
The Four-Word Sleep Phrase: “This Thought Can Wait”
This simple sentence packs a surprisingly powerful punch. When you say it to yourself—gently but firmly—it creates a boundary between you and your runaway thoughts. It doesn't require solving, denying, or arguing with your brain.
Connection: with supportive people, community organizations, coaches, or others that can validate your emotional and personal experience is a major boost to resilience. Make time to be positive: Dancing, a meal shared with friends, or playing a game together is enough to relieve stress and boost toughness.
People with ADHD may cry more easily due to intense emotions and emotional lability. The decreased ability to manage emotions can result in frequent emotional outbursts or tears in response to emotional stimuli.
This might include techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, or cognitive reframing, where you challenge and change your thought patterns around certain triggers. Consistent practice can gradually reduce the intensity of your reactions, helping you respond to situations with more emotional stability.