[Just a girl..]

Only 6 more days of tracking my feelings/what I do/What I eat( eating cause of being hypo)
--My mother says we'll see a doctor after two weeks, and there is only 6 more days left of the two weeks.
I'm not sure if she will follow through with it or not, but I'm hoping so!

[faerie_moon_x]

Does she already have an appointment set for you? I'm glad you're tracking your moods. It's especially important in the beginning when learning your triggers and stuff.

[Just a girl..]

No she doesn't have an appointment set up yet. .. which i think is due to her not wanting to tell my dad about it..
& I have been tracking my moods for 8 days now, and I have no idea what my triggers are..

[Clinte89]

Well it's good your tracking your moods and at least trying to see a doc. Good idea I hope it works well in your favor.

[faerie_moon_x]

Best way to figure out triggers is to keep notes with your moods. It has taken me a couple of years but I'm starting to figure mine out. Some of them surprise me, actually.

[Just a girl..]

What are some of yours? if you don't mind me asking

[Eliza Jane]

Tell your mom to set up the appointment ASAP. Of course it varies depending on where you live, but by me it takes at least 3 months to see a psychiatrist and usually longer if you need a child psychiatrist. A general practitioner is not trained enough to deal with possible bipolar.

Good luck,
EJ

[faerie_moon_x]

Some are biological. For example if I don't get proper sleep or if I don't have enough to eat in they day. Both can trigger me.

Another big trigger for me is if my routine gets mixed up. I do things as close to the same way every day. If that changes, I really struggle all day. I like to do things in certain ways and the same way every time. This keeps me on level ground and feeling steady. When I have to have a permanent routine change, that really screws me up for a long time. It's taken me 2.5 years to feel getting my son ready for school in the morning is part of my routine.

Now, "button pusher" triggers are things (and yes, these are normal things that bug other people, too.) like... I hate to feel left out on purpose. I hate that. It is something that happened to me a lot growing up, so if I feel purposefully left out, I will have a panic attack. I don't like to be laughed at. If I think people I trust are making jokes about me, I freak out. I don't like being told I'm lying, because I'm not a lying type of person, and this drives me crazy. I also don't like it to be brushed off or made to feel like my experience or feelings don't count or are invalid or fake.

Now, I have some triggers that may not make sense. Like, I hate being asked for directions. The sound of the phone ringing is like nails on a chalk board to me (but I answer phones for a living, so that's awesome...,) loud noises that are repetitive or beeping noises. Flashing lights also are not good for me. I can't handle a strobe light, it makes me shut down.

My biggest trigger, though, tends to be stuff dealing with my mom who passed away. It depends on the day and how I handle that, and what the topic is. And certain songs I avoid like the plague. Also movies or shows about people dying of cancer, especially moms and kids, I can't watch them. One of my favorite shows this year, The Parenthood, I can't watch it because a lady has breast cancer on there, and she happens to be my favorite character and a mom.... So, now way, can't watch it.

[Just a girl..]

Reading your triggers has actually made me realize some things that might be triggers for me.. like when people eat with their mouth open, or chew loudly, or smack their lips together, I can't take that. It makes me extremely irritated, and everything the person does after that annoys me. I've actually had times that I've made myself the leave the room because I just can't take it, I feel like I'm going to explode. <-- is that a trigger or just something that bugs me? .. i don't really know the difference.

[faerie_moon_x]

It's possible. The thing with a trigger for me is it usually effects me for a while after. Like you said, once the person does that then everything about them starts to irritate you.

Like for example, when I get left out of something on purpose, it will send me into panic. I start trying to figure out why I got left out. I start to feel like I'm a horrible person and no one loves me. I start going into major cycles of negative self-talk. This sets up a pattern of obsessive thoughts trying to figure out how else the person/people might also have been "against me" or trying to hurt me. And if I do not take steps to try to stop it, these process can go for not just hours, but days, sometimes weeks... sometimes longer... and this will be like a pin in my side, stuck there, and I can't seem to escape it.

This particular trigger is one I have to work on with myself. Of course I can't be included in all things I want to be included in, and of course being left out doesn't mean it was "on purpose," or even if it was, not meant in offence. It's very difficult for me, and I am still working on coping with this particular trigger. The closer I am to someone, the worse I react when it happens.

[Just a girl..]

I think I feel that way when left out too, just not that extreme. -- I will have to start paying attention and trying to figure out what my triggers are.

[faerie_moon_x]

Also that's why we have the trigger warning thing on posts. It's the red circle with an x in it. That's because for some people talking about things like self-harm, suicidal thoughts, etc. can trigger it in others or trigger memories which trigger things...

Trigger is a big vocabulary word for us.

Once you learn what they are you either have to learn how to manage them, like I have to answer phones and give directions. I can't just scream at people to stop asking me how to get to our office. I have to do deep breathing, remind myself this person has never been here before, etc. (I don't know why giving directions makes me seeth with rage, but it does.... )

Or you learn to avoid triggers. Like the no movies about cancer for me. Or songs that remind me of things.

[Just a girl..]

I understand what you mean. Thanks for the help

[Me,Lately]

Oh my goodness--Dark_heart, I absolutely LOVE Parenthood but I completely agree with you about the cancer plot line... Every episode leaves me crying but I continue to watch it, not sure why. I'm sorry you can't watch it anymore!

Just a girl: The chewing loudly thing is something I really struggle with too. With me it doesn't even matter if they're chewing open-mouthed, I tend to zone in on whatever chewing sound is happening and it's like it immediately amplifies, no matter how quiet it actually is. It gets to the point that I have to leave the room or else I'll start getting anxious and irritated and panicky. All sorts of noises get to me but the chewing is definitely hard to deal with.