When triggered, take a mindful pause

It is great to take a mindful pause when we feel calm. But it is even more helpful when we don’t, i.e. when we are triggered.

triggered mindful pause

Being triggered means: we perceive that we are in danger. Our nervous system gets in fight-or-flight mode, and this drains blood and oxygen away from our mindful brain.

In other words: At the very moment that we need all our resources to deal with a difficult situation, we actually have reduced resources because fight-or-flight mode drains blood and oxygen away from our mindful brain.

It takes a conscious effort to go against our natural tendency to stay triggered. We need to pause, breathe & feel grounded, in order to get back our capacity to deal with the situation mindfully.


triggered mindful pause