Episode 2

Understanding What Sets You Off: How to Identify Your Emotional Triggers

Published on: 10th November, 2025

UNDERSTANDING WHAT SETS YOU OFF: HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS

You're going about your day, and suddenly something shifts. Your chest tightens, your thoughts spiral, and you're in fight-or-flight mode over something that seems minor to everyone else. Sound familiar?


In this episode, we break down exactly what emotional triggers are, why they happen, and most importantly how to identify yours so you can stop being caught off guard.


WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- The difference between triggers, stressors, and normal emotional responses

- Why triggers feel so disproportionate to the present moment

- The neuroscience behind why your body reacts before your brain catches up

- How to identify your specific trigger patterns (sensory, situational, relational)

- The role of temporal confusion—when past trauma invades your present

- Practical strategies for working WITH your triggers instead of avoiding them

- Why understanding your triggers is the first step toward emotional freedom


This isn't about eliminating triggers or "getting over" your past. It's about building a framework that helps you recognize what's happening in your body and mind so you can respond instead of react.


If you've ever felt blindsided by your own emotional responses, this episode will help you make sense of what's really going on beneath the surface.


SUBMIT YOUR STORY OR QUESTION:

Have a topic you want discussed or a story to share? Send listener letters or voice messages to letters@alottogrowtthrough.com or visit ALotToGrowThrough.com


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Website: ALotToGrowThrough.com

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RATE & REVIEW:

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. It helps others who need this find their way here.


CONTENT ADVISORY: This podcast discusses trauma, mental health, and emotional wellness topics that may be triggering for some listeners. Please practice self-care while listening.


A Lot To Grow Through is a podcast about real healing, real conversations, and no filter. Hosted by Artis Desjardins, this is a space for thoughtful conversations on healing, growth, and the art of becoming. Here, you'll understand you have to grow through it, not just go through it.

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About the Podcast

A Lot To Grow Through
Real healing. Real conversations. No filter.
Mental wellness isn't a destination. It's a sophisticated, ongoing practice of understanding ourselves; our patterns, our pain, our potential.

A Lot To Grow Through returns after four years as a space for nuanced conversations about the inner work that transforms us. Hosted by Artis Desjardins, a mental health advocate committed to elevating the discourse around healing and growth, ALTGT is designed for listeners who value depth, intelligence, and intentionality.

Each week, you'll find:

Solo Reflections - Artis explores frameworks, philosophies, and practices that inform meaningful growth, offering perspective shaped by years of personal healing work and extensive study of psychological approaches.

In-Depth Conversations - Dialogues with therapists, researchers, authors, and individuals whose experiences offer genuine insight. These aren't surface-level interviews—they're substantial explorations of complex topics.

Listener Dialogues - Your questions, reflections, and experiences become part of our shared exploration, creating space for collective wisdom and meaningful exchange.

ALTGT approaches mental wellness with the depth it deserves. We don't oversimplify. We don't offer quick fixes. We don't reduce the healing journey to soundbites or platitudes.

Instead, we create space for honest discourse. We honor nuance. We value substance over sentiment, understanding over uplift, depth over speed.

This podcast is for people who read deeply, think critically, and approach their healing with both heart and mind. For those who understand that growth is complex, transformation takes time, and the most profound changes often happen quietly.

If you're seeking meaningful conversations about what it means to heal, to grow, and to become you're in the right place.

New episodes weekly. Subscribe for thoughtful listening.

About your host

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Artis Desjardins