Our society sends all kinds of messages about emotions; they’re messy, they make us act irrationally, they get us into trouble, we all just need to stop being sensitive and be more reasonable. When it comes to emotions some of them feel good, some of them are harder. Sometimes they’re a mild thing we barely notice and sometimes they hit us like a semi-truck going 70 down the freeway. No matter who you are or what’s going on in your life, if you are a human and you have a brain then you have feelings. And contrary to popular belief they serve a purpose other than making you miserable.

Does this happen in your home?
Your child starts having a hard time with something; maybe they don’t like what you made for dinner, their brother took their toy, or they’re overwhelmed by a homework assignment. If your kid is anything like mine these things can lead to an immediate meltdown, and then your own emotions feel out of control too. Before you know it you're filled with anger, fear, or dread and are completely overwhelmed. Maybe you suddenly find yourself yelling and scolding or just completely withdrawing. You just can’t cope with your kid’s behavior and you can’t use all those great parenting tools you intended for these moments. You my friend, have become triggered.

I hear so many times from the people I work with “I don’t know if this really counts as a trauma” or “I know what other people have been through is so much worse” as though their experiences don’t count if they’re not extreme enough.

I felt like if I clicked on one more article that told me I just needed to do deep breathing and everything would be fine I just might toss my phone out the window in frustration.