Try to Avoid Being “Triggered” by the Overused Word “Trigger”

“Triggered” has become a more recent buzzword, relative to emotional interoception and self-regulation and use of coping mechanisms. Almost anything can be a perceived trigger to an individual depending upon genetics, upbringing, environment, experiences, etc. Burnt toast may be a trigger to a child or adult, where they express disgust, disappointment, anger and other negative emotions. Loud noises may be a trigger for a soldier experiencing PTSD from combat and relative life and death circumstances. Everyone interprets stimuli uniquely to their own circumstances. However, trigger is not too often being associated with positive scenarios. We don’t hear much of people being “triggered” into helping someone in need, triggered to complete a task, or offer a compliment. Triggered is becoming a bit overused and taking on a negative definition within our culture.

Doctor Erik Messamore speaks in some detail about how the word “trigger” itself can become overused and actually trigger its own negative emotional responses. The word often connects to definitions attached to weapons or a state of lack of control. Once the trigger is pulled or engaged, there is no way to un-pull the trigger (Ask A Psychiatrist, 2020). I have discussed this concept in other venues, where the topic came up about how it is possible to manipulate someone to remember any particular thought. For example, if we were to perform an online Google search asking for “cars other than blue ones” and then click images, all we will see our blue cars presented. So, regardless of us asking for no blue cars, artificial intelligence only picks up on the “blue” with no context of the surrounding words. If we ask a produce worker at the grocery store to find us some unbruised bananas, their attention goes towards finding the bruised ones and not choosing those. Regardless, their thoughts and ours gravitate towards not wanting bruised bananas. Similarly, if we are discussing something that is negative, stressful or triggering, but seemingly not personally affecting us, our words and attached thoughts will on some level affect our emotions and relative psychophysiological responses.

Alternative words instead of using triggering could be:

stressors
elicit
produce
bring about
manifest
cause
produce

Psychologist John Cacioppo states that “the processing of a word, like any other sensory stimulus is sensitive to experience,” (Cacioppo & Tassinary, 2016, p.515). I think that this brings us to the understanding that specific areas of the brain play roles in the processing of sensory stimuli which may be perceived as bringing us happiness, stress, or other emotional states in between. While all humans may have the same components within the brain, each person processes stimuli and relative happiness or stress somewhat unique to their own genetics, life circumstances, and behaviors and/or lifestyle choices (DocMikeEvans, 2016). When we choose to speak words, the Wernicke’s area of the brain is engaged to help formulate within our thoughts, what we will verbally say. Neuron signals are then transmitted to the Broca’s area of the brain in order to produce the strategy for the motor cortex to put together the sounds that will become words and sentences. From here we use our language to communicate our thoughts (Andrew Scott, 2013). I think that this process is the result of how each individual perceives stimuli and responds uniquely depending upon their own availability of coping mechanisms, resources, and life experiences. If someone is exposed to mostly negative experiences throughout their life, they may have a different “calibration” for what they perceive as happiness. Conversely, someone who has very little stress in their lives may see themselves as quite happy, until something they perceive as a major stressor forces them to re-calibrate their thinking.

So, I think that happiness and stress are both relative terms to the present moment. Perceptions of happiness and stress will continue to ebb and flow as we learn, grow, and then adapt to whatever we experience under whatever circumstances. Words have meaning, impact and influence. Choose words wisely.

References:

Ask A Psychiatrist. (2020, May 12). Emotion Regulation. What causes emotional reactions and how can we modify them? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPIhzHa-68

Cacioppo, J. T., Tassinary, L. G., & Berntson, G. G. (2016). Handbook of Psychophysiology. P. 515. Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

DocMikeEvans. (2016, August 18). The science of Subjective Well Being, a.k.a Happiness. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPbjK3MmjL0

Andrew Scott. (2013, March 24). Broca’s area vs. Wernicke’s area – VCE Psychology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iHDF5twkcE

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I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Contact for times, locations and costs.

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Self-regulation or “you are the boss of you”

So many people complain about national health issues that face our country today. Stress, PTSD, anxiety, depression, diabetes, suicide, obesity and many other ailments have skyrocketed over the last decades. The US spends the most of all nations on healthcare, in spite of ranking way below the top. These issues did not happen overnight and will not be fixed overnight either. If children (and adults too!) were being taught to manage themselves or self-regulate, their stress, their interactions with others – through exercise and breathing management, we would soon not have as many adults in such poor health. Plant good seeds if you want good crops, right? Healthcare is best started with self-care.

Become interested in self-regulating and managing your own health, your stress, your sense of balance. Or maybe just get out of the house and meet some new people. Do something that engages your mind and your body at the same time. Walk, run, swim, hike, garden, play a musical instrument, paint, draw, build or create something,

I prefer self-regulation through exercises from martial arts, yoga/qigong and other similar mind-body methods. Exercises can be practiced while standing, and then moving into yoga-like postures of Tai chi and qigong. By aligning the bones and relative joints, muscles become engaged making both the bones and muscles stronger and consequently more stable. Putting focus on one’s physical body is how one can occupy their mind with positive thoughts rather than the typical chaos, confusion and other negative issues that distract us from enjoying life to its fullest.

1. Self-observation- we look at our behavior and keep tabs on it.

2. Judgement- we compare what we see with a standard.

3. Self-response- if we did well with your standard, you give yourself rewarding self- responses.

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https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Contact for times, locations and costs.

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Symbolism’s Relationship to Music

Symbols can have strong meanings, and for that reason have been used for thousands of years to help convey messages, passing on of history, mythology and philosophical concepts. I have combined some of my thoughts on the relationships between Carl Jung’s ideas on “squaring of the circle,” and its similarities to the Indigenous Medicine Wheel, the 5-elements theory or “wuxi” from Taoism, and the energy center or “chakras” from Hinduism/Buddhism. The Indigenous Medicine Wheel offers the values of humility, honesty, respect, courage, wisdom, truth, and love. Taoism’s star symbol represents other aspects of the mind, will power, intellect, the corporeal and ethereal souls, among other correspondences. The chakra scale has its own set of similar, but different correspondences. The more I delve into the teachings of these ancient cultures, I feel quite strongly that the similarities between them are not mere coincidences, but rather perhaps the underlying collective unconscious presenting itself in various different manifestations, in separate locations and at assorted times in human history.

Aside from overlapping components of colors, elements, animals, energy centers and many others, is the similarity in the musical notes or tones that all of these philosophical and/or belief systems share. Humans have used music for enjoyment, for ritual, for healing and perhaps other reasons for thousands of years. Music is a series of sounds or tones that produce vibrations. These vibrations can affect the human body’s nervous system on many levels, sometimes deemed as being good or bad for the individual. Certain tones are thought to affect specific organs, different levels of self-realization, and links to higher spiritual realms. Conversely, specific notes can vibrate to cause stress on the nervous system, breakup kidney stones and even for demolition of buildings.

I learned many decades ago that the holding of physical postures engages specific muscles group while simultaneously engaging the nervous systems. Either the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest response) is engaged with the slow rhythmic breathing or the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) with a rapid rhythmic breathing cadence. Either of these processes can change the blood chemistry to promote healing on different levels. This physiological process can be seen in the other moving meditations practices of yoga, and its offspring of qigong and further spawn of tai chi. I have found (and personally practiced) all of these methods with either slow or fast breathing patterns can put the practitioner in either the meditative or trance state, depending upon background music/sounds, the individual and their intent. This is a concept called entrainment, where the practitioner’s heartbeat synchronizes with the beat of a drum or other percussion sound. I have learned to practice qigong, tai chi and other martial arts exercises with music consisting of bells, chimes and other percussion instruments with this exact purpose of slowing (or increases) the heart and breathing rate in order to enter into the meditative state of being.

With so much talk and debate in recent years regarding anxiety, depression and many other mental ailments, music therapy along with physical and mental exercises, offers realistic, relatively cheap and readily accessible methods for self-regulation of thoughts, emotions and relative physiological mechanisms. Or, in other words self-care of personal health and well-being.

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https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Contact for times, locations and costs.

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

We are the Architects of our own Health, Happiness, Well-being, Destiny or Fate

When we start to realize that we are indeed the architects of our own health, happiness, well-being, destiny or fate, we begin to see things from a quite different perspective.

Wim Hof, listen or don’t. There are many, many others that know that the secret to health and well-being is through modulation of our autonomic nervous system. This is accomplished through self-awareness,and mindfulness of our thoughts that affect emotions that affect blood chemistry that affects organ function and overall quality of health. Not really a secret anymore if everyone can learn of this. Ancient cultures knew of this thousands of years ago. Western medicine is slow to acknowledge this because there is no profit coming from a healthier lifestyle. Most of us know this but deny accepting it – cognitive dissonance; knowing better but just going along with things to acquiescence.

If it was not for me, myself being deeply involved in these practices for over 40 years, I would not believe much of what others say. However, when we delve into what we eat, what we put into and on our bodies, how we think and respond to life, we can see that there is much more to healthcare by way of “self-care.” Do your own due diligence and become aware of you.

Be well, become healthy, become wiser.

And we ALL have access to this knowledge and ability to incorporate it into our lives.

I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Contact for times, locations and costs.

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Which “Care” do You Invest Upon?

– Healthcare (rely upon others to keep you healthy)

– Self-care (assume control & responsibility for your well-being)

– Other-care (taking care of others more so than yourself)

– I don’t care (live for the moment, no regard for consequences)

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Tired of being tired?

Low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, PTSD?

Feel tight, weak or unable to enjoy activities that you used to be able to do?

Are you interested in managing stress, improving balance, while learning low-impact strength and flexibility exercises?

Or maybe just get out of the house and meet some new people.

These particular exercises are done standing, and then moving into yoga-like postures called Tai chi and qigong. By aligning the bones and relative joints, muscles become engaged making both the bones and muscles stronger and consequently more stable. Putting focus on one’s physical body is how one can occupy their mind with positive thoughts rather than the typical chaos, confusion and other negative issues that distract us from enjoying life to its fullest.

I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Contact for times, locations and costs.

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

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