Crossing the River of Triggers

August 30, 2025

Here’s what I’m learning lately: if I pause, step back from my ego, and simply listen, everything changes.

For me, the challenge has been triggers—the old wounds that resurface in conversations. I’ve noticed that if I don’t manage the story in my head, those triggers take over and distort reality. But when I tell myself, I’m present, I’m just listening, it’s like crossing a river. The river might look rough at first, but the mind can actually build a bridge across it.

The hardest part isn’t the insight—it’s keeping that practice consistent. Especially with people who trigger me the most. But even then, I’m realizing: the trigger isn’t them. It’s me. My wounds speaking loudly. And those wounds don’t define me. I can be something else—a blank page with the freedom to choose my response.

Today, I had one of those moments. I assumed wrongly, I communicated what didn’t feel safe, and to my surprise, the other person received it. We both worked through it. That pause, that space—it shifted everything.

The mind is a powerful tool. It can spin stories that keep us stuck, or it can create a whole new reality. Sometimes, all it takes is pressing pause on ego, being present, and letting the river flow.

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