Faith & Feelings

Triggers can be a confusing word. At its heart, triggers are reactions to past trauma. They are not just about remembering past pain, but reexperiencing past pain as if it were happening in the present. But what do we do when we are triggered? Although there are no skills that can make a person stop themselves from ever being triggered again, there are skills that allow us to cope until we are less disarmed them and by the painful memories they bring up in us. In this episode, I explain three practical strategies for coping with triggers…and why practices like these are critical for spiritual and emotional health.

Triggers can make us feel like we’re on fire when there is no flame. But what actually is a trigger? Being triggered is not the same as being uncomfortable. Being triggered isn’t just about something rubbing you the wrong way. When someone is triggered, it means that they are having a strong, reflexive reaction to something that wouldn’t ordinarily cause that response. At its heart, triggers are reactions to past trauma. They are not just about remembering past pain, but reexperiencing past pain as if it were happening in the present. In this episode, I talk about how triggers form, two kinds of triggers, and why triggers can actually invite us into deeper healing and wholeness.

The anxiety that you feel today is not random. Anxiety in adulthood is often rooted in unprocessed stories of trauma… stories that our minds may have forgotten or suppressed but that our bodies still remember. As I talked about last week, our present anxiety is often trying to tell us some really important things about the story of our lives up to this point. But if you decide to begin reflecting on your childhood, what things should you be looking for? In this episode, I highlight 3 specific ways that trauma and anxiety are connected. I also share a personal story about a traumatic experience when I was 10 years old that has contributed to a pattern of anxiety in my life.

Have you ever wondered where your anxiety comes from? Many people are unaware that patterns of anxiety in adulthood are often rooted in unprocessed stories of trauma. Trauma has a tendency to hide, but the symptoms don’t lie. Our anxiety is often trying to tell us some really important things about the story of our lives up to this point. In this episode, I explore the questions “What exactly is trauma?” and “What makes something traumatic?” I also address a core reason why childhood trauma can be especially difficult for Christians to name & acknowledge. 

Worry and anxiety are often blurred together as the same thing. But do you know that they actually have distinct differences? In fact, our ability to differentiate worry and anxiety is essential to be able to process them in a productive and healthy manner. I explain how worry and anxiety are different, and how they go together within the larger context of your nervous system. What I cover in this episode might surprise you! But I can personally speak to how these insights have helped me process what I'm feeling more quickly, and with so much more clarity...as they will for you, too.

Anxiety can feel debilitating. But what actually is it? What’s happening inside of us when we feel anxious, and why do feel it? Anxiety is often our body’s way of alerting us to important, unfelt emotions. It’s always trying to tell us something. Whether you’re wondering if you have anxiety, want to understand it more, or long to better support a loved one, this episode is for you. I unpack how to know when you’re feeling anxious and offer practical ways to respond.

In this episode, I share my heart behind Faith & Feelings, an interesting way that I prepared for the podcast, and what you can expect moving forward. You'll also hear some of my story behind hitting a wall (emotionally, spiritually, and physically) at 18, and why I slowly began to realize that prayer and therapy were never intended to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Faith & Feelings is a podcast designed to help you untangle & honor your emotions, authentically practice your faith, and integrate both into your everyday life so that you can experience the goodness & delight that comes from living in relationship with yourself, God, and others.

Join author and clinical counseling grad student Taylor Joy every Monday, where she’ll share therapeutic insight and spiritual truth aimed at helping you implement small shifts into your daily rhythms and routines.

Each episode will also be released alongside a weekly Substack, a Wednesday email and reader’s favorite that continues the conversation started here on the podcast. This paid subscription ($5/month) includes personalized resources, recommended links, and reflection questions designed to help you process each week’s episode more deeply, both individually and in community.