Reactivity usually stems from stress, and stress can come from all sorts of places - work deadlines, personal expectations, or simply the daily juggling act of life. When we’re in a state of stress, our nervous system goes into overdrive.
In this blog I’m going to dive into this topic and explore the key differences between reactivity and toxicity, and how understanding these can help you protect your emotional well-being.
A trigger is anything in your environment that taps into an unresolved emotional wound. It’s the salt on the wound. If you had a physical cut on your hand and someone poured salt on it, it would hurt. But if your skin was healed, the salt wouldn’t bother you at all.
Reactivity is a survival mechanism. When we react, it’s because our nervous system perceives a threat, even if it’s not an immediate physical danger. Reactivity is fast, automatic, and exaggerated—our bodies are primed to act quickly to avoid harm.