What is Your Body Telling You?...

Sweating palms. Shaking knees. Racing heart. Dana takes a deep breath as she puts her lip gloss back in her purse and exits the restroom, heading back to the table where she was having dinner with her husband at a nice restaurant. Her waiter had just used an uncommon catch phrase while telling them the specials, one she hadn’t heard in years, one that — he — used to say. She had to escape to the restroom for a few moments to pull herself together. Dana’s former relationship was marked by abuse from her previous partner. And something about the way her waiter said those words just now brought back memories of the abuse.

What happened just now?

They’re commonly called “triggers” — objects in the environment connected to hyperemotional events that cause a physiological response in the body. Let’s use Dana as an example. The object in Dana’s case was the catch phrase, the hyperemotional event was the abuse, and the physiological responses were her sweating palms, shaking knees, and racing heart.

In other words, our bodies react to cues in the environment that are linked to extremely distressing events in our past. Those reactions are manifested as physical symptoms. The most common physiological symptoms that we experience with triggers include:

1.        Sweating

2.        Shaking

3.        Increased heart rate and blood pressure

4.        Increased respiration

5.        Tightness in the chest

6.        Upset stomach

7.        Feeling faint

8.        Dry mouth

9.        Muscle tension

10.  Headaches

Why?

Our bodies are designed to protect us. Those physiological symptoms that happened to Dana are the same types of reactions that occur when our bodies detect threats in our environment. Sometimes, however, our bodies can’t tell the difference between a real or falsely perceived threat – such as the catch phrase.

What can we do when this happens?

There are ways to calm our bodies when we feel these reactions coming on:

1. Recognize what’s happening

   1. First, recognize that your body is reacting to something in the environment because it is trying to keep you safe, and that is causing these symptoms.

2. Breathe

   1. Breathing is your best tool because you take it with you everywhere you go. Try inhaling for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight.

3. Ground yourself

   1. Try the 54321 method. List five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

4. Engage the senses

   1. Splash cold water on your face, use essential oils, and listen to your favorite music.

5. Movement

   1. Rocking and swaying are gentle ways to soothe the body.

Sometimes, it seems like triggers can pop up out of nowhere. But, if we can identify what is going on, we can be better equipped to handle the situation and keep it from escalating. But please remember to be gentle with yourself. Your body is just trying to keep you safe.