Ever since the word "triggered" popped up in pop culture, it's being used more frequently, and not necessarily in the right context. Whenever something comes up that brings up bad memories, someone instantly says they feel "triggered." But really, being "triggered" has more severe connotations. When someone is really saying they feel triggered, they really mean that they have an emotional/psychological reaction to an upsetting time. Sometimes, it happens to war veterans when they have PTSD or depression.
Being "triggered" isn't a term you should throw around lightly. It's a serious issue that some people have. But, triggered isn't the only word that people overuse. It's also with phrases like "I'm dying" or "that almost gave me a heart attack," in general, phrases that carry more meaning than people think they do. You're not dying, and if you were you wouldn't be joking about it. And if you had a heart attack, you'd be on the way to the ER; so yeah, it's no joking matter. The issue is our society and our outlook on issues. People don't realize the severity of these phrases. Some people think that they won't encounter issues, like actually being triggered, so they toss around the terms. But what happens once you actually have the issue of being triggered? Will you finally realize that these issues are real?
The truth is, if you experienced the feeling of being triggered, you would be mad if one of your peers used the phrase in the wrong context. And you would probably feel guilty throwing around the term lightly if you had done it previously. It shouldn't have to get to that point for people to start taking certain phrases seriously. It's kind of like a "boy-who-cried-wolf" situation: you can only joke about something so much before people stop believing you. It's a simple children's story that's easily overlooked by adults and teens, but it's really a story for them as they truly understand the meaning more so than children.
It's that simple story that could spark change in how we talk. It brings up that we should hold our tongue before we speak, and we should speak truthfully. We need to realize words are powerful. They carry meaning. So watch your words, and the next time you go to say you feel "triggered," think again, do you really have an emotional/psychological response similar to PTSD? Consider there are people out there that actually out there who are experiencing what you joke about, be empathetic to those who are struggling.
