How to Manage Your Emotional Triggers from a Biblical Perspective

Emotional triggers are all around us. They are lurking around every corner, attempting to catch us off-guard and reveal our inner-most vulnerable and sensitive areas. Emotional triggers often reveal pain points we didn't even know existed.

Definition of Emotional Trigger: anything — including memories, experiences, or events — that sparks an intense emotional reaction, regardless of your current mood.

And believe it or not, the trigger is not the thing that can make or break us. Rather, the way we respond to the trigger and process the reaction it ensued.Typically we go for a walk to clear our mind of its current and often temporary frustration.However, when we go to God in prayer and invite the Holy Spirit into the process, we free our minds and hearts from potentially permanent discontent and ill regard towards others.

Gaining a new perspective is always beneficial for your emotional and mental health. Allowing yourself a moment to step back from a situation to process from a different perspective, can help bring clarity to what may seem like a cloudy and emotionally driven situation.

Challenge: Try looking at your situation from a different perspective before responding out of frustration, confusion, or even hurt. (Emotional Triggers)

Once you have a bit of clarity or take a step back and see it from a different perspective, that is the perfect time to seek freedom for the things you are internalizing in your heart.Oftentimes we don’t realize it, but when we are in a heated situation with a coworker, friend, or even family, we mentally process it at the moment and say we move on. However, the trigger points that created the frustration still live deep inside our hearts. Possibly because we felt our character was attacked or something went against our morals, sometimes we even feel ill-equipped to have the conversation needed at the time. Our insecurity creates a layer of defense we didn’t realize existed.

Continue Reading: 'Fighting Against Insecurities'

When we seek God, that helps us process through and see the situation from a different perspective, but it also allows us to ask God WHY we felt the urge to react in the way we did and WHAT triggered that emotion in us. To find true freedom, we must invite the Holy Spirit into the process as well.Inviting the Holy Spirit into the process sometimes looks like waking up in the morning and saying, God, I put this day and all of its conversations and interactions in your hands. Allow your Holy Spirit to fill me with peace and to carry that peace into every room I enter. Continuously seeking this true freedom means, the next time a trigger point comes up, we don't feel the need to react in the same way because we are freed from the emotional and oftentimes spiritual trigger associated with it.

When we internalize, we only allow ourselves to be burdened by the pain.

When we welcome God and trusted others into the healing process, we allow different perspectives who the same emotional response as us has not triggered. Still, we also allow accountability to enter into our lives for future scenarios we may need assistance in processing.

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:26-32 (NLT)

We can’t control every environment we walk into, situation, or conversation that occurs. We can, however, control how things impact us and how we respond to the things and people around us!