#triggered jokes

On and off the Internet, people are making jokes about triggers more and more often. For content purposes, Im not going to write an example, but in case you haven’t heard of them, it is when people say that something is “a trigger” or “triggering” to them, or is something that could potentially be triggering to someone else around. 


These jokes can be especially hard to handle if we are living with, recovering from, or know a loved one with a mental illness. Usually people with PTSD are used when discussing why “trigger jokes” are hurtful because PTSD is known for causing individuals to have flashbacks or experience intense reactions after experiencing a trigger- something that reminds them of the trauma they endured. However, people with almost any mental illness or addiction can be triggered. A thought, emotion, outside stressor, or general circumstance can cause someone to begin to experience symptoms of their mental illness. For example, as someone with an eating disorder, I am triggered to engage in those eating disordered behaviors when I am around people who are having discussions about their weight loss regimens.

So what do you do when you hear people making these types of jokes about being triggered?

First, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that the person may not know or understand what harm they were causing, about your personal experience with mental health issues, or how much of an impact their words can have.

Depending on who the person is, and the circumstance you are in, it may be appropriate to explain to them the hurtful nature of their joke. If you are not in a position to teach someone about how jokes related to MH are incredibly hurtful, consider excusing yourself from the conversation,  just walking away or changing the subject.

If you walk away, or even if you stay and become less focused on the continued conversation, you can do some deep breathing and  grounding techniques- like Mental grounding exercises,  Physical grounding exercises & Soothing grounding exercises. to help you calm down and cope in the moment. After trying a few different healthy strategies, if you still are feeling too many intense emotions or are having urges to engage in unhealthy behaviors,  try to distract yourself, talk it out with someone you trust, or text a crisis line.

If you can confront the person, (this can be done in the moment, or after the fact when you are ready and able),try to get them on their own, rather than in a group. Ask, “hey can I talk to you over here for a moment?”. Let them know you think their “joke” is not funny. Remind them that while yes, society has even making a joke out of being triggered, it is an unfortunate effect of having a mental illness, and that it is not something we have control over. When someone with a mental illness is actually triggered, it can cause them to experience incredibly overwhelming emotions that their illness makes difficult to process or control, intense urges to engage in unhealthy or unsafe behaviors, flashbacks or reminders of traumatic events, or intense mental illness symptoms that the individual telling the joke may be fortunate enough never to have yet experienced.

If you are comfortable explaining how mental illness and triggers impact your life personally, that  may help them be more willing to understand.  You can be vague, saying something like “I suffered a trauma when I was younger, and have PTSD symptoms now. I get triggered easily, like when I hear loud noises, so you joking about my mental illness really hurts because this is something I live with every day.”

Remember it is okay if you are not in a position to confront someone after they make a “triggered joke”. And of course, if you are able, speak to a MH professional about your reaction to these “jokes” and about your triggers in general. 

I'm conditioning him