Recognizing and Handling Workplace Triggers

Stress in the workplace can be a nightmare, especially if you are in recovery. Dealing with the stresses of your job, your role, and your relationships with co-workers often test your patience. While the pressure and stress associated with your job are normal, hanging onto those pressures and stresses isn’t normal. The inability to cope with triggers in your workplace not only wears you out physically and mentally, but it can also jeopardize your hard-earned sobriety.

This article centers on strategies you can use in coping with triggers in the workplace. Are you struggling to cope with triggers in recovery? Coping with triggers in recovery is essential to your physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. The Parkdale Center is Atlanta’s premier outpatient drug treatment and mental health center. Our dynamic and personalized approach to treatment will give you the tools you need to grow and thrive in your sobriety.

Parkdale Center is a drug rehab in Indiana that can help with addiction treatment. Call and speak to our admissions team today to learn more.

What Is A Trigger?

So what exactly is a trigger?

The official definition of a trigger is something in your environment that produces a response. When you think of a trigger in addiction recovery, it is a person, place, or thing that creates a craving to use drugs and alcohol. The frequency and intensity of how you experience triggers are dependent on numerous factors including your life experiences, your history of substance abuse, and if you have any history of mental illness among others.

In general, triggers can be divided into two broad categories:

·         External triggers include the people who were your “using friends” as well as objects such as drug paraphernalia and pictures of yourself using drugs and alcohol as well as others who have passed away from drug use. External triggers can also include places such as a bar, a party, or other setting that triggers stressful responses.

·         Internal triggers include negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and boredom. These can also include positive emotions such as feeling proud of yourself as well as feeling loved. While these positive feelings are normal and acceptable, they can be considered triggers if associated with past drug use.

What Are Examples of Workplace Triggers?

Triggers in the workplace seem to lurk around every corner. A common example of a workplace trigger is your workload. You may find that you are overworked or that the job you do is too repetitive or boring. Another example of triggers in the workplace is dealing with co-workers. It is common to encounter a co-worker that rubs you the wrong way or there may be a clique within the workplace that makes you or others miserable.

Additionally, you may have a supervisor or other in a power position who is intimidating or is on some sort of “power trip”. Other triggers in the workplace include the cost and time it takes to get to and from work, frequently going on work trips, and faulty or antiquated technology among others. The key to coping with triggers in the workplace as well as recovery is to develop a solid set of coping skills. In the next section, you will learn healthy coping skills that will help you manage triggers at work and in everyday life.

Coping With Triggers in the Workplace

If you are experiencing stress and burnout at your job, coping with triggers is crucial in maintaining your health and sanity. The following are simple but effective ways you can cope with workplace triggers:

Deep Breathing

Coping with triggers in the workplace starts and ends with deep breathing. Once you feel yourself feeling overwhelmed, slow your breathing down and lengthen your exhales. You also need to focus on breathing from your belly. When you do this, you are resetting your parasympathetic nervous system and pushing yourself towards a more relaxed state of mind.

Label Your Feelings

When you feel annoyed, irritated, or frustrated at work, put your feelings into words. At those moments say to yourself the following:

I am feeling anxious

I am feeling angry

I am feeling frustrated

When you can put a name to what you feel, you are reducing your stress and preventing a response that you may later regret.

Process Your Feelings

It is very important to take time to process your feelings and not bottle them inside. Once you use coping skills to pull yourself from the proverbial ledge, take adequate time to process what you felt and decide whether you have truly moved past it or need to talk to someone.

Coping With Triggers in Recovery Is Easy With Help From The Parkdale Center

Coping with triggers is an everyday fact of life. In order to protect your sobriety, you need to strengthen your coping skills. Our dedicated Indiana addiction treatment team will work with you in designing an individualized treatment plan that helps you address and overcome your addiction and provides professional programs that help you transition back into the workforce. Kick your addiction to the curb with help from Parkdale Center. Call us to learn more about our IOP in Indiana.