Understanding the Science of Triggers

These last few weeks have been a masterclass in self-awareness. There is an illusion around spirituality and growth, that it's all shiny, glittery and rainbows. Don't get me wrong, when you are out the other side of a huge growth the glitter returns. But these last few weeks have been raw, inconvenient, middle of the night panic and rushing to the loo.

I’ve been moving through stress. And I say moving very intentionally, because movement, meditation, and breathwork have been my lifelines. They’ve helped me literally move the stress through my body, instead of letting it stay stuck.

I've been triggered, in the most uncomfortable way. The sort of trigger that literally makes you want to run and hide in the bush and never return kind of trigger - it would be much easier, right and definitely more appealing :-) 

Triggers are what activate our fight-or-flight response, that ancient survival mechanism designed to keep us safe. In many situations, that’s a gift. It’s what makes you jump out of the way when a car speeds past or duck when something comes flying your way.

But here’s what’s not often talked about: if we don’t process the stress response, our nervous system doesn’t just let it go. It can loop us into another state entirely, the freeze response.

Anxiety, in this sense, is a normal and protective emotion. It’s our body’s alarm system, telling us something needs attention. But when the alarm stays switched on, the body starts to pay the price. Hence, the night wakes, sudden heart palpitations, shakes and (TMI) the uncomfortable bowel movements - some of the many physical symptoms of stress. 

So why does this happen? When you’re triggered, your brain’s amygdala, the part responsible for detecting threat sends an urgent “danger” signal to your nervous system. This kicks off the sympathetic nervous system, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

In seconds, your heart rate increases, your breathing gets faster, and blood rushes to your muscles, all so you can fight or flee. This is incredible if you’re facing an actual emergency… but not so helpful when the “threat” is a difficult conversation, a social situation, or a memory from the past - all things we can't really avoid. 

Here’s the tricky part:

• If you don’t complete the stress cycle (through movement, breath, or relaxation), your body stays in “red alert.”

• Elevated cortisol over time can lead to sleep disruption, digestive issues, lowered immunity, hormone imbalances, and even changes in brain structure.

• Sometimes, the system overshoots, and instead of fight or flight, you land in freeze a shutdown state where your body protects itself by conserving energy, making you feel numb, detached, or exhausted. All of these can lead to a decline in our mental health. 

Not everyone will experience strong physical symptoms when triggered. For some, it’s purely mental or emotional. But when symptoms like rapid heart rate, night waking, hot flushes, or panic attacks appear, they’re a sign your nervous system is working overtime and that’s when it’s worth seeking support before those effects compound.

The good news?
Our nervous systems are adaptable. With the right tools, like mindful breathing, grounding practices, and physical movement we can teach our bodies to return to safety faster and more often.

For me, these last few weeks have been filled with physical symptoms:

• Waking in the middle of the night and struggling to fall back asleep.

• A racing heart that seems to spike out of nowhere.

• Hot flushes, tension in my chest, and moments of panic.

• Impulsiveness and reactive (especially at the beginning) 
• And....IBS. 

When triggers show up like this, they’re worth a deeper look. Because while not all triggers will cause physical symptoms, some maybe fleeting or situational, the ones that do can raise your cortisol levels and keep them high. Over time, this chronic stress keeps your body in a heightened state of alert, disrupting deep, restorative sleep, slowing or upsetting digestion, and weakening immune defences. Elevated cortisol and adrenaline can throw off hormone balance, affecting mood, energy, and even menstrual cycles. Prolonged stress also changes the way your brain processes future challenges, making it quicker to detect threat, but slower to return to a sense of safety.

This is where it gets fascinating — and reassuring.
That ‘brain fog’ feeling you sometimes get when you’re stressed? It’s your brain’s way of asking for a break. Under long-term stress, the part of your brain that helps you remember, learn, and focus (the hippocampus) can get a little worn down. Communication between the ‘thinking’ parts of your brain and the ‘alarm system’ can also become a bit scrambled, making it harder to focus, remember details, or feel calm.

The good news is, your brain isn’t stuck this way. It’s constantly rewiring and regenerating. Just as chronic stress can wear down those pathways, consistent calming practices can rebuild them.
Meditation, breathwork, daily movement, being in nature, quality sleep, all of these literally nourish and strengthen your brain. You’re not just helping yourself feel calmer in the moment, you’re protecting your long-term brain health.

It’s normal to want to avoid or outrun these feelings. But avoidance doesn’t make them go away, it can make them louder, embedding the stress deeper into the body.

I said earlier, that I've been moving through the stress with yoga, breathwork and meditation. I've literally had to slow TF down and step back to take a deeper look, because this trigger has been persistent. It took me six weeks to get to the root cause. And even now, knowing what’s underneath it, my body hasn’t instantly “reset.”

Why? Because healing takes time.

We don’t undo years of wiring/conditioning in a single realisation. Awareness is the doorway, but it’s not the entire journey.

Through reflection, stillness, and getting brutally honest with myself, I realised that the trigger wasn’t about the present moment at all, it was about my past. Something in this situation brushed against an old wound, one I didn’t realise was still so raw.

That’s the thing about triggers: they’re rarely about the thing in front of us. They’re echoes from earlier moments in our lives, replaying until we’re ready to notice them.

In a world that wants quick fixes, this process has been a reminder that nervous system healing asks for patience, and consistency. What’s been most helpful has been:

• Meditation — not to empty my mind, but to notice what my mind is holding.

• Nature — grounding myself in fresh air, sun, every single day.

• Breathwork — using my breath to calm my body when my thoughts run wild, has been fun learning new techniques. 

• Movement — walking, stretching, yoga; anything to keep the stress energy moving.

• Reflection — journaling without censoring, to see the patterns more clearly.

The trigger wasn’t mine to avoid. It was mine to meet.

And meeting it has been one of the most transformational seasons of my life. I’ve stopped, listened, and asked my body, mind, and heart what they need. not to “get over it” but to walk through it with care.

If you’re experiencing a trigger that’s affecting you physically, please know: It’s not weakness, you don’t have to push through alone and it’s okay to ask for help before it gets heavier. 

Not every trigger will require a deep dive. Some are just passing discomforts. But the ones that keep your nervous system buzzing, keep you up at night, or leave your body feeling like it’s under attack those deserve your attention.

Because every time we meet a trigger with curiosity instead of avoidance, we open the door to a deeper kind of healing one that ripples through not just our bodies, but our lives and into the lives of those we love and care for.