It sure seems like everyone has a trigger or fifty these days. Not to say that people haven’t always been fragile, but now we have classified the proper terminology that pinpoints that moment where something clicks like a slipped disc in your mind and propels you down a rabbit hole of displeasure.

Obviously, the term generates from the trigger of a gun, activating an emotional response that equates to a heightened reaction. The catalyst kind of hits you like a bullet, too, creating an abrupt shock to your mood. You may not be entirely aware that your reaction to the incident stems from something traumatic in your past that is affecting your attitude in the moment, but either way, your current state is altered, provoking an immediate reaction.

In this modern age of psychology, we’ve become very efficient at analyzing nuances in the human temperament and identifying how drastic changes can exacerbate symptoms. Like, a hundred years ago people just called it rattling the nerves, but when you place a validated medical term to it, people clutch onto diagnosis like a life preserver—a safe zone. But the problem with that is we’ve become accustomed to having a technical explanation for everything we feel, raising expectations that since it is well-defined, there must be a simple way to resolve it.

And usually with a pill. Or a drink.

Or a fit of rage.

And the misunderstanding from which most people suffer is thinking that acting out negatively is the most effective way to resolve the situation. But as we all have learned from experience, these confrontational reactions only intensify the problem. And therefore, I would like to share my philosophy to settling an issue before reacting in a way that could prove irreparable.

My lighter is a trigger.

And my bong is my gun.