Are You Tripping Any of These Common Triggers for Anxiety? (Part 1)

Feeling anxious is all too familiar to you, you are well aware that there are things you do that make it better, and things you do that make it waaaay worse. My lovelies, it’s time to learn a bit more about common triggers for anxiety so that you can avoid them when possible. Or at the very least, if you find yourself in a spiral, you can know what set it off and what to do next.

As someone who has been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and who works with women in business like you that also deal with anxiety, I’m here to share with you the top 10 triggers for anxiety.

Triggers (In the Psychology Sense of the Word)

You hear the word “trigger” on every other TikTok and IG post. But what is a trigger, really? According to Psych Central, 

“Triggers are sensory reminders that cause painful memories or certain symptoms to resurface.

If you experienced a traumatic event, you likely remember certain sounds, smells, or sights related to that experience. Now, when you encounter these sensory reminders — known as ‘triggers’ — you may get a feeling of anxiety, unease, or panic.”

This is probably not new info to you, but it may be empowering to know that the very nature of a trigger is that it causes overwhelm and unease. 

How to deal with it: Although you can never entirely avoid triggers—nor should you, in the long run—when you sense your anxiety spiking due to a trigger, that’s the perfect time to pull out a trusted coping skill like a breathing technique or a pattern interrupt.

Family

Heyo! Any takers out there for family as a big trigger for racing thoughts and wanting to escape your body? While our families are important to each of us to varying degrees, our family relationships can be one of the biggest anxiety inducers out there. Broken and painful relationships with family are enough to send even someone with mild anxiety into a spiral.

How to deal with it: Sometimes, creating space and boundaries between you and family members is exactly what the doctor ordered. If you have a willing family member, doing family therapy together can help mend a damaged relationship. 

When it’s not possible to avoid a family member that causes anxiety, stick close to family members you can trust at family gatherings, and make sure you know the start and end time of a gathering so you can have an exit strategy.

Nothing at All

This is, of course, one of the most frustrating things about having anxiety—the fact that sometimes you feel anxious, and you have no idea why. You can’t think of any triggers, things are goin’ good in life, and externally, everything seems rosy. 

It is possible that you encountered a trigger without realizing it was a trigger. It’s also possible there are some other factors you aren’t thinking about, like lack of sleep or too much caffeine (more on those later!) Or maybe your anxiety is just being a real asshole today!

How to deal with it: Use some of your favorite coping tools. A good place to start might be saying out loud affirmations like, “I am safe. I am okay.” 

You could also try getting into your body with one of my personal favorite techniques—54321. This technique involves focusing on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste to get into your body and out of your head.

Social Situations

Not everyone who deals with feeling anxious feels anxious about social situations. But there is a big overlap, and I know exactly how you feel if you have a social situation coming up that you’re dreading. Since I coach women in business, we really have to learn how to cope with social anxiety because we need to be out there building connections, meeting potential clients, and changing the world!

How to deal with it: For sure, do what you can to take care of the things you can control—get enough sleep, avoid caffeine, avoid alcohol, etc. When possible, ease your way into social situations by initiating get-togethers with people you know and trust. If you’re going to an event with lots of elements you can’t control, invite a friend to go with you. And know the start and end times, so you have an exit strategy. 

Lack of Sleep

Where are my 11 pm doom scrollers at? It’s easy to lose grasp of a good sleep regimen. Whether it’s anxiety keeping you awake or just unhelpful habits that perpetuate a sleep deficit, lack of sleep is sure to send your overwhelm through the roof. 

When you’re overtired, it’s easy to feel like the whole world is crashing down on you. If you want to get real nerdy with it, Science Daily explains it like this,

“Neuroscientists have found that sleep deprivation amplifies anticipatory anxiety by firing up the brain's amygdala and insular cortex, regions associated with emotional processing. The resulting pattern mimics the abnormal neural activity seen in anxiety disorders. 

Furthermore, their research suggests that innate worriers -- those who are naturally more anxious and therefore more likely to develop a full-blown anxiety disorder -- are acutely vulnerable to the impact of insufficient sleep.”

Great news, right?? 

How to deal with it: If it’s just bad habits like binging Netflix until way too late, cut that shit out! But I’m guessing it’s way more complicated than that. If you’re mindlessly scrolling or Netflix-ing out of avoidance, take up journaling before bed. 

Other helpful sleep hygiene tips that ease nighttime anxiety include taking a bath or shower and using essential oils or other scents that you associate with bedtime. Try eliminating screen time an hour or longer before bed. And, use your bed just for sleeping (not working or watching TV) so that when you get in bed, your body knows what to do.

More Anxiety Triggers to Come

Did I miss any of your common anxiety triggers? There were so many I couldn’t fit them all in one blog. Never fear, I have part 2 coming for you very soon, where I will talk about some biggies like having a messy home and the dreaded finances! 

Women Out Loud exists to be the Lady Squad for women in business who are part of the high-functioning anxiety club that nobody talks about (until now.) I’m here for community, I’m here for coaching, and I’m here to give you all the tools I couldn’t find when I was an entrepreneur that constantly felt like I was in over my head. Check out my website to learn more!