We've all seen the meme that makes fun of the term "trigger," somewhere or another. This meme gained it's fame due to the rise in popularity of people claiming to feel offended or attacked due to ridiculous circumstances. A more recent one focuses on a woman who claimed that mean comments posted on twitter caused her to develop PTSD and ultimately triggered her, causing a slew of memes to be created to poke fun at her mindset. While this is all in typical internet fashion, the fact of the matter is that a person being triggered by a serious event or traumatic experience isn't something that should be made fun of.
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Yes, there is the occasion where someone takes it too far, to the point of using the term as a means to gain attention or to have a disturbed sense of "inclusion," but the majority of the time, triggers are a real reaction to everyday events. These may seem small to others, but to the person experiencing them, it can be monumental.
Imagine living through each day knowing that a single sight, sound, or smell can set off a huge reaction.
For some, it's an anxiety attack. They feel as if they can't catch their breath and that their chest is caving in. They shake because they're filled with absolute terror. They cry because they feel helpless.
The moment they hear that sound, smell that smell, or see that sight, they're bombarded by memories that feel as if they're reoccurring.
For others, it's debilitating. Their body shuts down, they can hardly comprehend what's even going on. Even though they're perfectly safe, their mind doesn't think they are. It comes in waves of anger or fear with every single memory shining vividly, as if they were still right in the middle of the event. They forget where they really are for a moment.
Then it's gone.
They breathe again. They wipe away their tears. They push their shoulders back and keep going even though all they want to do is stop and wrestle with their demons until they finally give in. Society expects them to move on, even when every chance they try, they're right back where they started. All because a stranger brushed past them or a storm started to roll in or a firework went off.
Not just "attention-seeking tumblr kids" are effected by triggers, as they come from cases of PTSD, which develops in abuse victims, trauma survivors and veterans of war. It presents itself everywhere, and there's no telling who is actually dealing with it's ever-tightening grip.
The next time you see a meme ridiculing the idea of triggers, remember those that are effected by them after traumatizing events. Remember how they suffer. Then realize that the majority of people that are suffering won't tell other people, but will keep it hidden. They are people who have dealt with the horrors of war or domestic violence or sexual abuse and have been through events that are so scarring that their bodies and minds have conditioned themselves to breakdown at a single reminder of the event.
Be mindful when you're scrolling through your feeds, and know that even though that meme someone threw together in less than a minute may give you a quick chuckle, there is an entirely different side to each story.
