Triggers for Avoidance (2)
Current Triggers
Not all triggers have a historical context. Often, very real things can happen in the present that trigger you to avoid them. Amanda was anticipating a very difficult conversation with her partner about postponing living together. Amanda was fairly certain that her partner would be very hurt and angry about her reluctance to move in. Every time she got up in the morning and started thinking about the conversation, Amanda became sad and anxious and began puttering around the house. Amanda would feel more depressed every time she walked by the telephone or computer to call or to e-mail her partner.
In this example, there were two current triggers for Amanda’s behavior. The first was the sight of her telephone or computer, which led Amanda to feel more depressed. The second was actually Amanda’s own thinking about the conversation with her partner shortly after she got out of bed. This thinking became the trigger for all sorts of avoidance or puttering. You may have noticed that thinking is also an internal trigger, which is covered below.
External Triggers
External triggers are those that happen outside of you and have an impact on how you respond in particular situations. For example, imagine being currently depressed when your house is broken into and several important family heirlooms are taken. After dealing with the police and the insurance companies, you might become more depressed and begin to withdraw from work, friends, and family. What are the triggers here? Clearly the burglary is an external event. The loss of the family heirlooms could be a historical trigger, depending on what they were associated with in your experience, or it could be a current trigger.
Internal Triggers
Many experiences are extremely personal and private. Two people standing right next to each other in some secluded place may have very different experiences. Likewise, someone living in the middle of bustling Manhattan may keep himself or herself so distant from everyone that he or she may as well be living on a desert island. Just like the air that you breathe, your environment exists both outside of you and inside of you. Events that seem to occur more inside you are internal triggers. For example, some people we have worked with report having a disturbing dream and waking with a feeling of being depressed. They often don’t recognize what it was about the dream that left them with this feeling, but this internal trigger, a dream, had a powerful effect on their mood. In many other cases, excessive worrying or obsessing about problems (an internal trigger) can trigger a person to avoid the tasks that will actually begin to solve the problems.
Interpersonal Triggers
Triggers can also be interpersonal (between people). A surly boss or coworker, a grouchy partner or spouse, or someone with a grudge against you are all people that you might wish to avoid. If, for example, your boss is very critical on a Friday, facing him or her on the following Monday can be more difficult. In general, conflicts with children, family, or other loved ones can be powerful triggers for avoidance behavior.
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