Term: "Trigger" or "Stimulus"
Trigger or stimulus: anything outside or inside of us that ends up contributing to a specific emotion or feeling
How to start noticing more of our triggers to expand our thinking space?
Look for patterns. e.g. are you usually upset on Saturday? or when hungry? When are you happy? For example: on the couch, on the table, outside. Is there any specific time, situation, or person where you consistently feel a certain way around?
Tell yourself "Next time I see <pattern> I will notice it"
When you notice the pattern, identify the feeling and tell yourself "This is me being X". This can help stop the feeling to escalate and may help expand your thinking space for the Human brain to analyze.
Other ways:
When speaking, pause for 5 or 10 seconds intentionally somewhere.
Use Check and Choice
Use any of the other tools.
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