As I get older I realise that managing triggers is not just something that people with mental health issues should be aware of, it is something many can benefit from. The difference is that we with mental health issues can feel the impacts of triggers at times at an extreme level. None the less managing triggers is something anyone can achieve for mental and physical health.
Firstly, as mentioned in my previous post identifying triggers, you can’t manage a trigger without first identifying it. A trigger for this purpose is something which has an adverse impact on your mental health. There are a few ways to deal with a trigger:
· Ignore it
· Face it
· Taper down
· Get help
Triggers can start small and turn into a habit very quickly. A relationship, drugs, alcohol. The environment/situation plays a major role also. My biggest trigger is sleep. My well managed condition bipolar is seriously disrupted by lack of sleep.
I realised to truly be able to manage my trigger I needed to understand my thought processes surrounding it. I found four constructs were key for my thoughts and behaviour when a trigger appeared.
Identify
| Understand
| Choice
| Change Management
|
I identified through experience of lack of sleep led to anxiety, and the more sleep I lost the more I remained awake. My mind ran into overdrive.
| I understood the consequences of losing sleep when I began to go into a hypomanic phase. I understood this was not sustainable. This step led to acceptance. | This is an important step. If I identified and understood correctly, I had an informed choice to make a decision. I chose to make a sleep plan, and to leave the late nights behind. | To sustain the decision I had to commit to the sleep plan. |
This table represents a simplified example of a major trigger of mine. However, more or less information can be added to these four steps and it can be a template for a deeper dive into the four. For instance, someone with alcohol or other drugs as triggers could ‘identify’ the negative impacts, then ‘understand’ how it is affecting them, their friends and family. Some strong triggers will require a deeper analysis in this step, such as writing a list of consequences and asking why and how the person got to where they are now. Once acceptance is realised, the person has the ability to weigh up all the benefits and costs with a ‘choice’. The components of change management require commitment to a plan and an element of self-discipline. The more insight you add to each step the more you’ll feel empowered to change.
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