Have you grown to a place of knowing what your triggers are? Or, are you constantly frustrated and thrown off by day to day situations? As you go through life, growing through your various trials, you must get to a place of being able to identify and deal with your triggers.
Dealing With Your Triggers: 3 Steps
The first step in dealing with your triggers is being able to identify them! It is very easy to go through life, facing the same issues over and over, without ever really stopping to see what those issues are revealing about us. In order to identify and effectively deal with our triggers, we must take the time to slow down and allow ourselves the space to reflect.
We must create the space to get quiet, think through things, and face the facts. In order to even do this, however, we must first and foremost ensure that we are prioritizing our relationship with God so that He can grant us the insight, perspective, and awareness that we need.
I have found that the more that I grow in God and His Word, the more that I grow in awareness of myself- including my triggers.
Do you have the space to deal with you?
The pace of this world will keep us so busy that we’ll feel that we don’t have the time to slow down, really reflect and deal with ourselves. Our own flesh will even discourage us from truly looking within, as a way of avoiding the discomfort that we’ll inevitably feel by facing ourselves.
Prioritizing our relationship with God is key as He will grant us humility, which is necessary to view ourselves in proper perspective. He grants us the humility needed to face ourselves and accept the truth that we’ll discover. I’ve been humbled at the many issues that God has revealed to me about my own heart! In times past, this awareness would discourage me. Now, as I’ve matured, I’m able to accept His revealing as I know that the revealing is necessary for improvement.
If we don’t know, we can’t grow.
Secondly, I encourage journaling or some form of documentation, as we so easily forget. When you begin to keep track of the things that set you off, you will begin to see trends. This will allow God to open your eyes to the issues within you that are really causing the problem. I love the scripture:
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
– Proverbs 4:23
We tend to think that the issues that we face are about the issue, but rather they are about us. There is something within us that the issue is simply provoking. Dealing with your triggers will require you to focus in on the root issue. For instance, a group of people can all be affected by the same issue, however, the person with the anger problem is the only one outraged. The issue is not about the annoyance. The annoyance only poked at the anger within the heart.
In the heart lies the real issue.
Lastly, and this is where discipline and diligence is key, we must be committed to growth every single day. Yes, every single day. We don’t take a break from God’s presence, His teaching, or His process. The more focused we remain on Him and His work in us, the more quickly we will begin to progress through our issues- including our triggers.
God’s process is true, tried, and tested. His way works. His way is best. We just have to remain committed to Him and His way, even when it hurts. Patience and steadfastness is essential and will enable us to stay the course while we gain the understanding needed to overcome. We don’t have to live as victims to our issues. Through the power of God, and the indwelling Holy Spirit within us, we have everything we need to identify and overcome our triggers.
With love & sincerity,
