The Fight-or-Flight Trigger Questions for Contemplation

Most people trigger more in some locations than in others. Do you trigger more at home or at work? Do you trigger more when you’re alone or when you’re with others? Where do you feel the most triggers in your life?

Don’t peel the onion. One of the mistakes we can make when trying to create significant change in our life is to analyze why we trigger. Don’t worry about why these places might trigger you, just be aware of where you are triggered. How does it feel for you when you trigger? What do you notice about your mood, your thoughts, the way you interact with others?

Every dysfunctional thing we do, we do to feel safe. Lay aside any judgment you have of who you are when experiencing a fight-or-flight response. Just recognize and be aware this is a chemical reaction. Do you have behaviors in fight-or-flight you wish you could change? If you knew this process would work to change those reactions, would you be willing to do practices 20 minutes a day?

We do a lot to either fit into our peer groups or to stand out. How important is social survival for you? Are there people in your life who you are afraid of losing? Do you have fear of being alone or even on the other end of the spectrum, do you avoid people? Human contact has a stronger positive placebo effect of humans than any other experience on the planet, but it can also be our curse. Do you feel balanced in your connections to other humans?

How comfortable are you with change? Primal survival mechanisms try to keep everything the same and a place we really see this is in our “need to know.” How comfortable are you with being wrong or with not knowing what is next? Do you adapt easily or is it a trigger? Again, don’t peel any onions, just become aware of how much impact primal mechanisms do or do not impact your life.