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| From DeviantArt |
Recently I realized that something is basically acting as a trigger for anxiety. This is good because I can now focus on separating the thing from the anxiety, so that I can handle both in an appropriate way, instead of just reacting to anxiety and not really dealing with the thing.
This is also good because as I was writing trigger I noticed how close it is to Tigger, and then I thought about how being triggered is like being bounced.
I am enjoying this analogy immensely.
Being bounced is almost always unexpected and unwanted. It knocks you flat on your back. And then there's a Tigger on top of you. The Tigger is kind of child-like, and it won't go away.
Tigger: I “recoggonize” you. You’re the one that’s stuffed with fluff.
Winnie the Pooh: Yeah. And you’re sitting on it.
Tigger: Yeah. And it’s comfy, too!
~ (Tigger), A. A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh
Once you are bounced and would like your Tigger to go away, I suggest feeding it extract of malt.
There are a lot of ways in which being triggered is not at all like being bounced, but I am deciding that when something is causing me anxiety, and it is not really that thing's fault, I will treat it as if I've just been bounced. There's a Tigger in the room and I need to feed it extract of malt or go climb a tree before I can go back to dealing with the thing.
