How to manage my emotion when I am triggered be my past trauma?

Whenever I feel my emotions getting out of control, I use some skills that I learned for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Breathing in for four counts, holding for 8, and breathing out for 4 counts helps stabilize your breathing. Pressing a damp, cold cloth on your eyes lowers your pulse by tricking your brain (mammalian diving reflex for the win!). These skills can help you bring your emotions back down from a crisis level, and allow you to work on the issues that caused you to be triggered. As always, you are important, and your illness does not define you. If you need help, we're here to help

This is a great question. It's really positive that you're able to identify your triggers in this manner. There's a few things that you can try next time you feel triggered and unable to manage your emotions. First of all, you could try grounding techniques. An example is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. You look for 5 things you can see, 4 that you can hear, 3 that you can smell, 2 that you can feel, and 1 that you can taste. This can be helpful if you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or like you are beginning to re-experience the traumatic event. The second thing to try is to repeat positive affirmations. The affirmations will be unique to you and your situation, but people commonly use ones like "I can do this." "I am enough" or "I am safe now" if those are a helpful starting point for you. If you feel uncomfortable repeating the affirmations out loud you could write them on sticky notes so that you have a physical reminder of them, or you can find asmr affirmation videos on youtube that might help you relax. The final thing to consider is connecting with a listener on 7 cups. This may seem daunting but it's really just like chatting to a friend! If you prefer you can find a listener with training and/or personal experience of the issue that you're currently facing. I hope this helps you. Look after yourself -emi