Kore Kast
Kore Kast is a Podcast dedicated to integrating health and wellness with an emphasis on Pilates and Functional Fitness. This weekly Podcast is hosted by Kris Harris, a Certified Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer. Please subscribe and follow our journey...
Kore Kast
The Trigger Shift: Reframing Emotional Responses
We explore the science of emotional triggers and how reframing these powerful psychological responses can transform our wellbeing and relationships. Triggers aren't character flaws but learned protective mechanisms that can be harnessed as valuable messengers about our unmet needs and deepest values.
• Emotional triggers activate our brain's threat-response system, bypassing rational thinking
• Unmanaged triggers impact our professional relationships, intimate connections, and personal growth
• Reframing begins with creating space between the trigger and our response
• The STOP method (Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed) interrupts automatic reactions
• Multiple perspectives tool helps generate different interpretations of triggering situations
• Daily integration happens through small moments of practice in everyday situations
• Success stories demonstrate how reframing transforms real-life relationships
Visit our website at www.kore-fit.com and follow us on Instagram at kore fitness AZ. If you enjoyed today's episode, please share it with friends and consider donating at the link provided in the description to support the Kore Kast.
Kore Candle Company is a brand that specializes in creating unique and high-quality soy candles.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Welcome back to the Kore Kast. I'm your host, Kris Harris, and I'm thrilled to kick off season four of our journey together through the vibrant world of health and wellness. Whether you're a fitness fanatic, a Pilates enthusiast or someone just beginning to explore your wellness journey, you're in the right place. In this season, we're going to dive deep into a wide array of topics that matter, everything from the latest in Pilates techniques and fitness trends to essential mental health insights and holistic wellness practices. With nearly two decades of experience as a certified personal trainer, pilates instructor and health coach, I'm here to share expert tips, inspiring stories and practical advice to help you live your healthiest, happiest life. It's time to unlock your true potential. Welcome to Season 4. Welcome back to Kore Kast, where we explore the depths of personal growth and emotional intelligence. I'm your host, chris, and today we're diving into a topic that touches all of us emotional triggers and how we can transform our relationship with them through the power of reframing. You know those moments when something happens and you feel an instant surge of emotion, maybe anger, anxiety or sadness. That's what we call an emotional trigger, and understanding these reactions is crucial for our well-being and personal growth. These triggers aren't just inconvenient emotional responses. They're actually valuable messengers that can teach us about ourselves and our needs. Whether it's a comment from a colleague that ruins your day, a particular tone of voice that sets you on edge, or a situation that consistently makes you feel small, we all have these trigger points. Today, we'll explore not just what triggers are, but how we can shift our perspective on them to create more empowering responses in our lives.
Kris Harris:Emotional triggers are deeply rooted psychological responses that form through our life experiences, particularly during our formative years. Think of them as emotional hotspots specific situations, words or actions that instantly activate our nervous system and provoke an intense emotional reaction. These triggers often connect to past experiences where we felt threatened, unsafe or emotionally overwhelmed. We felt threatened, unsafe or emotionally overwhelmed. When we encounter a trigger, our body launches into a complex cascade of physiological responses. Our amygdala, the brain's emotional command center, signals danger, flooding our system with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, our heart rate increases, muscles tense and breathing becomes shallow. This is our body's ancient survival mechanism, preparing us for fight, flight or freeze. These physiological changes happen in a fraction of a second, often before our conscious mind has time to process what's happening. That's why triggered responses can feel so overwhelming and automatic, because they quite literally bypass our rational thinking brain.
Kris Harris:The development of these triggers is fascinating and deeply personal. They can form from direct traumatic experiences, but also from subtle, repeated patterns in our relationships or environment. Maybe you had a parent who withdrew affection when you made mistakes, leading to a trigger around perceived failure. Or perhaps you experienced social rejection in school, creating a trigger around group situations. Understanding the science behind triggers helps us recognize that these responses aren't character flaws or weaknesses. They're learned protective mechanisms. Our brain created these patterns to keep us safe, even if they no longer serve us in our current reality. Think of it like an oversensitive home security system that goes off at the slightest movement. It's trying to protect us, but its sensitivity setting needs recalibration.
Kris Harris:These emotional triggers can manifest in countless ways. Some people might experience intense anxiety when faced with criticism, while others might feel rage when they perceive disrespect. The trigger itself isn't the emotion. It's the catalyst that sets off this complex chain reaction of physiological and emotional responses.
Kris Harris:When we leave our emotional triggers unexamined and unmanaged, they can create ripple effects throughout every aspect of our lives, often in ways we don't immediately recognize. Let's paint a picture of how this typically plays out in everyday situations. Imagine you're in a team meeting at work and a colleague interrupts you mid-sentence. If being interrupted is one of your triggers, you might suddenly feel your chest tighten, your face flush and anger surge through your body. Instead of staying engaged in the discussion, you might withdraw completely or respond with disproportionate hostility. Over time, this pattern can damage professional relationships, limit career opportunities and create a reputation that doesn't truly reflect who you are. In our personal relationships, unmanaged triggers can create deep wounds and recurring conflicts. Perhaps your partner's tone of voice reminds you of a critical parent and you automatically shut down or become defensive. What could have been a simple conversation about household chores transforms into an emotional standoff, leaving both parties feeling misunderstood and hurt. The impact on personal growth can be equally profound.
Kris Harris:Unexamined triggers often lead us to avoid situations that could help us evolve. Maybe you decline speaking opportunities because you're triggered by public attention, or you resist feedback that could help you improve, because criticism triggers feelings of inadequacy. These triggers show up in seemingly mundane moments too the way we react when someone's late to meet us, how we respond to a change in plans, or our behavior in heavy traffic. These daily situations can activate our triggers and create unnecessary stress and conflict. Consider how unmanaged triggers affect our parenting. We might overreact to our children's normal behaviors because they trigger our own unresolved childhood experiences. A child's defiance, messiness or emotional outbursts can activate our triggers, leading us to respond from a place of past hurt rather than present awareness. The financial impact of unmanaged triggers often goes unnoticed Stress shopping when we feel triggered, making impulsive career decisions in triggered states or avoiding necessary financial conversations because they trigger anxiety about security these responses can significantly impact our financial well-being. Perhaps most insidiously.
Kris Harris:Unmanaged triggers can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we're triggered by perceived rejection, we might unconsciously behave in ways that push people away, thereby confirming our fears and strengthening the triggers hold on us. The cumulative effect of living with unmanaged triggers is like carrying an invisible weight. It drains our energy, strains our relationships and keeps us stuck in reactive patterns that prevent us from experiencing life fully and authentically. Now that we understand the impact of unmanaged triggers, let's explore the transformative power of reframing.
Kris Harris:Reframing isn't about suppressing or ignoring our emotional responses. It's about changing the lens through which we view them. Think of it as learning a new language, the language of emotional awareness and conscious response. The first step in reframing is to create space between the trigger and our response. When we feel that familiar surge of emotion, we can pause and acknowledge it without immediately acting on it. This pause becomes our window of opportunity for change.
Kris Harris:To begin the reframing process, we need to become curious investigators of our own emotional responses. Start by simply noticing, when you feel triggered, what physical sensations arise in your body, what immediate thoughts flood your mind, what's your automatic reaction. Document these observations without judgment, as if you're gathering data for important research. Next, we examine the story we're telling ourselves about the triggering situation. Most triggers are connected to an interpretation, a meaning we've assigned to an event or behavior. For instance, if someone's silence triggers anxiety, we might be telling ourselves they're angry with me or I've done something wrong. Identifying these underlying narratives is crucial for reframing. Once we've identified our trigger story, we can begin to question its validity. Is this the only possible interpretation? What other explanations might exist? This isn't about invalidating our feelings, but about expanding our perspective to include other possibilities.
Kris Harris:Consider your triggers as messengers rather than enemies. They're often pointing to unmet needs, unhealed wounds or values that matter deeply to us. When we approach them with this mindset, we can ask what is this trigger trying to tell me? With this mindset, we can ask what is this trigger trying to tell me? What need or value is it protecting? The practical work of reframing involves creating new neural pathways through conscious practice. When you notice a trigger arising, pause and take three deep breaths. This simple act activates your parasympathetic nervous system and creates the mental space needed for reframing. Then challenge yourself to generate alternative interpretations. If a colleague's constructive feedback triggers defensiveness, instead of thinking they're attacking me, try they're investing in my growth or this is an opportunity to improve. Write down these alternative perspectives and practice viewing situations through these new lenses.
Kris Harris:Remember that reframing is not about positive thinking or denial of genuine concerns. It's about developing a more nuanced and flexible relationship with our emotional responses. Some triggers might be pointing to boundaries we need to set or changes we need to make. The key is responding from a place of conscious choice rather than automatic reaction. Start small with this process. Choose one common trigger and practice reframing it for a week. Notice how different interpretations lead to different emotional responses and behavioral choices. As you become more skilled at reframing one trigger, gradually expand your practice to others, and remember this isn your practice to others. And remember this isn't about achieving perfection. There will be times when triggers catch us off guard, and that's okay. The goal is progress, not perfection. Each attempt at reframing strengthens our capacity for emotional flexibility and conscious response.
Kris Harris:Let's dive into some practical tools you can start using today to reframe your emotional responses. One powerful technique is the STOP method. Stop, take a breath, observe and proceed when you feel triggered. Pause whatever you're doing, take a deep, conscious breath, observe what's happening in your body and mind. Then proceed with intention rather than reaction. Mindfulness is another crucial tool in our reframing toolkit. Start with a simple body scan practice. Spend just five minutes each day moving your attention from your toes to the top of your head, noticing any tension or emotional energy stored in your body. This awareness helps you catch triggers before they escalate. This awareness helps you catch triggers before they escalate.
Kris Harris:The ABC technique from cognitive behavioral therapy is particularly effective. A stands for activating event what triggered you. B is for beliefs what thoughts automatically came up. C represents consequences how you felt and acted as a result. By writing these down, you can start identifying patterns and creating new response pathways. Another practical exercise is the multiple perspectives tool. When triggered, challenge yourself to generate at least three different interpretations of the situation. For example, if someone cancels plans last minute, instead of immediately feeling rejected, consider they might be overwhelmed dealing with an emergency or simply managing their energy levels.
Kris Harris:Emotional labeling is a powerful reframing technique. Practice expanding your emotional vocabulary beyond basic terms like angry or sad. Are you actually feeling disappointed, frustrated or perhaps vulnerable? This precision helps you respond more appropriately to your emotional experiences. The future self-perspective can help create emotional distance from triggers. Ask yourself how will I view this situation a week from now, a month, a year? This temporal reframing often reveals that what feels overwhelming in the moment may not be as significant as it seems. Create a personal trigger toolkit by writing down your most effective reframing statements. When criticism triggers defensiveness, your go-to reframe might be feedback is information, not an attack. Keep these statements readily available on your phone or in a notebook.
Kris Harris:The compassion flip is another valuable technique. When triggered, practice extending the same understanding to yourself or others that you would offer a good friend. This shift from judgment to compassion often naturally leads to more balanced perspectives. Anchoring is a powerful physical technique for emotional regulation. Choose a simple physical action like pressing your thumb and forefinger together, and pair it with a calm, centered state through regular practice. Eventually, this anchor can help you return to balance when triggered. Remember to celebrate small wins in your reframing practice. Each time you successfully pause and choose a new response, you're rewiring neural pathways and building emotional resilience. Keep a log of these victories, no matter how small they might seem.
Kris Harris:Now that we've explored these powerful tools, let's talk about integrating them seamlessly into your daily life. The key is to start small and build consistently. Think of it like learning a new language. At first you'll need to consciously translate each word, but eventually it becomes natural and automatic. One success story comes from Sarah, who used to get triggered every time her colleague interrupted her in meetings. Instead of feeling angry and shutting down, she began using the multiple perspectives tool. She realized her colleagues' interruptions often came from enthusiasm about the topic, not disrespect. This simple reframe transformed their working relationship and actually led to more collaborative projects. Consider James, who would become defensive whenever his partner provided feedback about household chores. By implementing the compassion flip, he started viewing these conversations as expressions of care for their shared space rather than personal attacks. This shift not only improved their relationship, but also reduced his stress level significantly. The beauty of trigger reframing is that each successful experience builds upon the last. Maya, an entrepreneur used to panic whenever a client requested changes to her work. By applying the future self perspective, she began seeing revision requests as opportunities to exceed expectations rather than threats to her competence. Her business has thrived since making this mental shift.
Kris Harris:Remember, integration happens in real time, during everyday moments. When you're stuck in traffic, use it as an opportunity to practice your stop method While waiting in line at the grocery store, do a quick body scan. These small moments of practice add up to significant changes in how you respond to life's challenges. As we wrap up today's episode, remember that reframing your emotional triggers isn't about suppressing your feelings or pretending they don't exist. It's about creating space between the trigger and your response, allowing you to choose a more empowering perspective. The tools we've discussed today, from the multiple perspectives approach to the compassion flip, are your starting point for this transformative journey. Begin with just one technique this week Notice your triggers, pause and experiment with viewing the situation through a different lens.
Kris Harris:Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Kore Kast. I hope you're feeling inspired and empowered to take your health and wellness journey to the next level. Remember, every small step counts and I'm here to support you every step of the way. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd love for you to share it with your friends and family and, if you're feeling generous, consider donating at the link provided in the description. Your support helps us to keep bringing you the kore kast every week, packed with valuable insights and expert advice For more resources, tips and updates. Don't forget to visit our website at www. k ore-fit. com and follow us on Instagram at kore fitness AZ. Join our community and let's continue this journey together. Until next time, stay healthy, stay happy and keep striving for your best self. This is CKris Harris signing off from the Kore Kast and I'll see you next week.
