How to be Less 'Trigger Happy' and More 'Trigger Savvy'

This is a milestone week for me. It’s the 9th year of being in business post corporate life, and also the week my apartment finally settles after an extended period of juggling banks, solicitors, removalists and agents. Yesterday, as I did the final farewell to my amazing building manager in Newstead, the emotions knocked me unexpectedly as I said goodbye.

It’s fair to say I like to think I’m in control, yet as a small business owner in a world post-covid, there is a lot to navigate that isn’t always in my control. Dealing with banks across this period has been atrocious, and whilst I’ve done everything I can to keep my cool through this time, it has pushed every button along the way and challenged all the tenants of my work as an executive coach.

At heightened times of sensitivity, as leaders it can feel wise to suppress your emotions, so as to be less reactionary and more responsive.  Suppressing emotion is like pushing a beach ball under water – inevitably, it rises through the surface rapidly when we least expect it. Yet paying attention to your emotions at times like these is the gold mine for leaders to explore and discover before an amygdala hijack takes over. It is your opportunity to build awareness of what may trigger you, helping you put that emotion to good use.

If you are a fan of Brooklyn 99, then this hilarious scene with Captain Holt’s Dentist Rant is a case in point.

"Apparently that’s a trigger for me."

By paying attention what triggers you, you may be able to uncover some useful data helping expand your self-awareness and self-leadership.  Triggers may indicate any of the following:

• Insight into whether you are acting in integrity with your values
• That your energy levels are depleted and in need of some replenishment
• When you are out of alignment with your purpose or desired outcomes (often based in fear or ego)
• When you have lost your voice and avoiding a difficult conversation.

Ultimately, whatever the data source is telling you, see that trigger as a gift prompting you to switch off auto pilot, step into awareness and dial up the curiosity so you can adapt and respond intentionally with transparency and compassion for yourself and others.   

What triggers you? How might this awareness help you navigate emotions differently in the future, to be more trigger savvy?