If you keep getting triggered at work, read this
We all have things that set us off. Sometimes it’s feedback that feels too sharp. Or a colleague talking over us in a meeting. Or a last-minute change that throws our whole day. We don’t always react on the outside, but something flares internally. Irritation, defensiveness, discomfort, or sometimes a need to shut down completely.
These are emotional triggers. They are not personality flaws or signs of being too sensitive. They are patterned brain responses built over time. If we pay attention to them, they can tell us something useful.
The problem is, most of us either overreact to them or ignore them. Neither approach helps. What we rarely do is pause and ask: why is this reaction happening here? And what is it trying to protect me from?
What triggers actually are, and what they are not
The brain is built to spot threats. It doesn’t wait for a logical evaluation. It reacts. That that gut-punch feeling you feel when someone critiques your work in front of others? That’s your amygdala flagging a potential social threat before your thinking brain has a chance to weigh in.
Triggers are reminders. They often link back to earlier experiences where something felt unsafe, undermining, or painful. But that doesn’t mean you are broken. It means your brain is working with what it has learned.
Research in affective neuroscience shows that when we are triggered, the brain’s threat system (amygdala) can override the part responsible for reasoning and self-regulation (prefrontal cortex). Psychologist Daniel Goleman called this an “amygdala hijack.” It explains why we sometimes overreact, shut down, or say things we later regret.
In workplace environments filled with feedback loops, hierarchy, deadlines, and ambiguity, triggers are everywhere. That doesn’t mean the workplace is toxic. It means we’re human.
Common Workplace Triggers (and what they are actually about)
Some triggers are obvious. But many are subtle, a shift in tone, a facial expression, a timing change. Here are a few common ones:
Being interrupted → can signal a fear of being dismissed or invisible
Last-minute changes → can trigger anxiety around control or competence
Someone taking credit for your idea → may link to a history of being overlooked
Constructive feedback → often touches the fear of being judged or not good enough
A vague e-mail or Whatsapp message from a manager → can spark fear of ambiguity or failure
These responses don’t make us dramatic or irrational. They show us where something important is being poked. The question is whether we let that reaction drive our choices, or use it as data.
Avoiding triggers doesn’t work
It’s tempting to work around our triggers. We avoid certain people. We edit ourselves to dodge potential discomfort. We micromanage details so nothing surprises us. But long-term, that costs us energy, creativity, and growth. Avoidance keeps us comfortable. It also keeps us stuck.
Instead of avoiding triggers, the more helpful route is to understand them. Ask: what’s the story my brain is telling me right now? Is it still useful?
The Science of naming and noticing
A simple but powerful tool is “affect labeling”, putting language to what we’re feeling. Neuroscientific studies using fMRI have shown that naming an emotion ("I'm feeling anxious" or "This made me feel small") reduces activity in the amygdala and increases activity in the prefrontal cortex. In other words, labeling helps us regulate.
You don’t need to unpack every feeling all day. Just enough awareness to create space between reaction and response.
Five practical ways to work with triggers at work
Notice patterns: keep an eye on repeated reactions. Is it always during group feedback? When someone questions your ideas? Those patterns matter.
Label the emotion (privately): no need to blurt it out in a meeting. But internally, saying “This made me feel dismissed” can take the edge off.
Get curious, not judgmental: instead of “Why am I like this?”, try “What’s this trying to protect me from?” Often it’s tied to identity, competence, respect, control.
Use reset tools: take a breath. Get up and move. Scribble a note to yourself. These quick resets help break the loop before it spirals.
Turn the trigger into a teacher: if a certain situation keeps knocking you off balance, that’s not failure, it’s information. It shows where your growth edge is. Work there.
You are not “Triggered,” you are learning
The word “triggered” gets used lightly, sometimes mockingly. But what’s happening underneath is important. It’s your brain doing its job. And your job is to decide what to do with that signal. Triggers don’t mean you are not professional. They don’t mean you’re too sensitive. They just mean you are human, with a nervous system that responds to patterns.
The goal isn’t to stop feeling things. It’s to respond from awareness instead of autopilot. That’s not emotional fluff. That’s emotional skill. And in today’s workplaces, it’s one of the most useful ones we’ve got.
