A trigger is something that causes someone to have emotional distress over a traumatic issue. When someone with a trigger sees something that relates to that subject, they experience anything from slight discomfort to a full-fledged panic attack/mental breakdown. To trigger someone is to potentially force them to relive a traumatic experience or feeling. Self-harm, eating disorders, suicide, and sexual assault are more common triggers for people.

When someone marks a post with, “trigger warning,” it’s their way of letting viewers know that the content may contain things that could potentially trigger them, allowing them to then decide whether or not they want to risk it. When I say suicide is a trigger for me, I mean that mentions or depictions of suicide cause me to experience emotional distress.

During the two or three times I’ve been triggered it felt like my chest was tightening and I couldn’t breathe and I felt a rush of anger and fear and my eyes started watering. This was how my body reacted to a trigger, while other people will react differently depending on the severity of the trigger for them.