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Pause… Don’t Pull that Trigger!

Michelle May

What-is-a-trigger

We often talk about triggers for eating. But what is a trigger? How do triggers affect your eating? And what are the steps for handling a trigger for eating?

What is a trigger?

Let’s think about the word trigger for a moment…

what-is-a-trigger-for-eatingIn a mechanical sense, a trigger is a mechanism that activates a sequence. An example is a light switch on your wall. When you decide you need more light, you flip the switch and the sequence that cause the light bulb to illuminate is activated.

In behavioral terms, a trigger is something that serves as a stimulus that initiates a reaction or series of reactions. In terms of eating, examples include wanting a hot dog when you’re at a baseball game or craving a snack while you’re watching TV.

It’s also important to consider the meaning of trigger in the context of mental health: A trigger is a stimulus that causes a painful memory to resurface. It may be any sensory reminder of the traumatic event, such as a sound, sight, smell, or a physical sensation. A trigger can also be anything that activates or worsens the symptoms of a mental health condition. This is why you’ll sometimes see “Trigger Warning” or “TW” to alert people about the potential for triggering content.

However, for our purposes, we are using “trigger” to mean any situation, person, place, or other association that prompts a desire to eat.

How do triggers affect your eating?

When you repeatedly pair certain situations, people, places, or activities with eating, you may develop an association. The presence of that situation, person, place, or activity can trigger the desire to eat.

Think about the specific associations you have with eating… here are just a few examples to “trigger” your thought process:

  • Movies and popcorn
  • A family member and a certain food or recipe
  • Special holiday foods
  • Certain times of day, such as mid-afternoon or evening

Thinking about a trigger in mechanical terms, like a light switch, may be helpful because it takes the emotion out of it for a moment. More important, it reminds us that a trigger has no effect on its own and must be activated in some way.

Similarly, triggers for eating are powerless. By learning to notice the presence of a trigger for eating, you are in charge of how you’ll respond, rather than reacting out of habit.

What are the steps for handling a trigger for eating?

The following steps, called FEAST, will help you break the automated response to your triggers by introducing mindful eating concepts.

(For those who have participated in an Am I Hungry? mindful eating program and/or read Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, you’ll recognize this as a version of FEAST from Chapter 3.)

FEAST

Focus

Mindfulness allows you to recognize the presence of a trigger. In other words, whenever you want to eat or continue to eat, pause to focus and take a few breaths. This pause creates a gap between the stimulus and your response, allowing you to respond instead of react.

With practice, you will create a new trigger for yourself: Wanting to eat will trigger you to pause and check in.

Explore

Begin to explore your reasons for wanting to eat. First, ask, Am I hungry? or Am I still hungry? You may find a Body-Mind-Heart Scan to be a very helpful tool for noticing your physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings.

If you’re not hungry, get curious! I wonder why I want to eat right now even though I’m not hungry. What was the trigger?

Accept (or Allow)

Whatever you notice, don’t judge yourself. After all, you wouldn’t judge a machine for having a switch!

Instead, accept that you have an association and say, Hmmmm, isn’t that interesting?

Strategize

Now, consider your options for how you’ll respond. For example, you might say, I could eat anyway if I want to. For now, I am not going to activate this particular sequence of events. Let’s see… what else could I do until I’m hungry?

Take Action

Each time you choose not to pull the trigger, you weaken its connection. It’s as if the wires rust and eventually break.

Further, each time you choose a different action, you create new connections. With practice, you will hard-wire these new pathways – like insulating the wiring.

P.S. As always, I acknowledge that the concepts I share with you are simple, but not always easy. (Remember, I’ve been through all of this personally as well as with thousands of other people just like you!) If you need help, please tap into our other mindful eating resources and/or seek out additional support.

Updated from a previously published version.

Enjoyed this article? Here are three more to help you:

How to Rewire Your Brain to Change Your Habits

Triggers for Overeating – Overeating Trigger #1: STRESS

Deprivation: A Hidden Trigger for Eating

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