Lessons in Overthinking & Obsessing

Why Do I Get Triggered So Easily? A Therapist Explains 4 Reasons

Have you ever had a reaction that felt much bigger than the situation? Someone says something small, cancels plans, goes quiet or gives you criticism, and suddenly you're anxious, angry, hurt or overwhelmed.

Or maybe your trigger looks more like overthinking: replaying conversations, analysing what someone meant, seeking reassurance or wondering, “Why did I react like that?”

In this episode, we’ll explore what a trigger actually is and why certain situations can create such strong emotional reactions.

As a therapist, I hear this regularly in the therapy room, and I'll share four key reasons behind the triggers I commonly see in therapy, including how our past experiences can influence what happens in the present.

If you've ever wondered why certain people, situations or comments affect you so deeply, this episode will help you understand your reactions with more curiosity and self-compassion.

Listen now to understand what's really happening when you get triggered.

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If work has become the place where your anxiety feels the loudest, this episode is for you.

Maybe Sunday evenings are just filled with dread these days, or one email can send you into hours of overthinking.

Maybe you constantly question whether you're good enough, replay conversations on your drive home, worry you've said the wrong thing, or feel like you're waiting to be found out.

You might tell yourself you're being too sensitive, that you should be able to cope, or that everyone else seems to handle work so much better than you do.

In this episode, we're exploring why work can become such a powerful trigger for some. I talks about why your reactions often run much deeper than the job itself, how old beliefs can shape the way you experience work, pressure and success or failure.

If you're lacking confidence or self-esteem at work and it's really impacting you, listen now or save for later.

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Break free from limerence, obsessive thoughts, and rumination with these calming affirmations. If you find yourself constantly thinking about someone, replaying conversations, fantasising about a relationship, or struggling to move on, these affirmations are designed to help you shift your focus back to yourself.

Regular affirmation practice can help reinforce healthier thought patterns, build self-worth, increase emotional resilience, and reduce the grip of obsessive thinking. While affirmations are not a standalone treatment, they can be a powerful tool when practised alongside mindfulness, journaling, self-care, therapy, nervous system regulation, and other evidence-based approaches to healing.

These affirmations are created to help you:
• Reduce obsessive thoughts and rumination
• Let go of unhealthy emotional attachment
• Strengthen self-love and self-esteem
• Feel calmer, more grounded, and emotionally balanced
• Support limerence recovery and emotional healing
• Create healthier relationship patterns

Listen daily, whether in the morning, before sleep, or whenever obsessive thoughts begin to take over. Repetition helps strengthen new neural pathways and encourages a healthier, more compassionate inner dialogue over time.

You deserve peace, emotional freedom, and relationships rooted in mutual love and respect. Let these affirmations support your journey back to yourself.

Limerence resources:

• 10 signs of Limerence: https://carly-ann.co.uk/2026/07/06/limerence-10-heartbreaking-signs-youre-obsessing-over-someone-how-to-break-free/
• Another podcast ep: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1e1A4rAumJVWqAt3qQUGpZ

(released on 4 Aug 2025 if you're not using spotify)

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Hello! Have you been getting triggered and having reactions that feel out of proportion?

Maybe you snapped at someone you love, shut down, felt overwhelmed, or found yourself asking "Why did I react like that?"

I don't actually like the term 'over-reacting' but sometimes we call a spade a spade.

A lot of the time, our biggest emotional reactions are often about more than what's happening right now.

When we're triggered, our nervous system can respond from old experiences rather than the present moment, leaving us feeling stuck in patterns we don't fully understand.

In this episode, I discuss key therapy insights into these big reactions (that I know you want to change).

I'll also guide you through a gentle somatic practice - a simple yet effective technique that helps you step out of automatic reactions and into the role of compassionate observer. This practice creates space between the trigger and your response, helping you reconnect with yourself, regulate your emotions, and respond with greater clarity and intention.

If you often feel overwhelmed by your emotions, caught in repeating relationship patterns, or frustrated that your reactions don't reflect who you truly are, this episode is for you.

Come as you are. There is no judgement here, only curiosity, compassion, and practical tools to help you understand yourself more deeply and move towards greater emotional regulation, resilience, and inner peace.

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This guided somatic meditation helps you gently break the habit of relying on someone else for your self-worth, happiness, or sense of security. Using body-based awareness and compassionate guidance, you'll reconnect with yourself, soothe your nervous system, and strengthen the belief that everything you need begins within you. The more you practise, the easier it becomes to feel grounded, emotionally secure, and less dependent on external validation.

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Do you start overthinking or obsessing because of someone else's mood, behaviour, or attention?

Does your happiness or self-worth change based on how they treat you?

In this episode, I explore why this happens and we explore what it's like to live like this.

Plus, I'll share a powerful journal prompt to help you reflect, reconnect with your own worth, and start taking your power back (which is what we're all about over here!)

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In this episode I am sharing 3 strategies that I genuinely have practiced and discuss often in my practice, these tools draw on decades of psychological research from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

These are the core intervention I use day to day in practice and across my work.

When I am making a list of 3, it can be so so tough to decide what to share. I am so passionate that therapy is not a one-size-fits all, but I also appreciate this is a blog and learning is a large part of doing the work. I’m sharing three that are fresh in my mind, and that I would say I discuss fairly regularly in sessions, DMs, interviews etc

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When we get stuck in overthinking, it's easy to believe we need to think our way out of it. But often, what we really need is to slow down and reconnect with ourselves.

This somatic meditation for overthinking is a gentle invitation to step out of your busy mind and into your body. Somatic practices help regulate the nervous system by bringing awareness to what's happening inside, helping you feel more grounded, calm, and connected.

This meditation is inspired by Inner Relationship Focusing, a practice that encourages you to meet your thoughts, feelings, and sensations with kindness instead of trying to change or fix them. I first discovered it while studying for my Somatic Attachment Therapy course, and I loved how simple, compassionate, and effective it felt. It's become an important part of my own practice and the way I support others.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or caught in a spiral of overthinking, I hope this meditation offers you a moment to pause, breathe, and come back to yourself.

When you're ready, get comfortable, press play, and let me guide you.

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Music:

I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/dtv/

Artist: ⁠⁠⁠http://chriszabriskie.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you've ever found yourself asking, "Why can't I stop overthinking?" then this episode is for you.

In this episode, I break down the five most common reasons behind overthinking, obsessing, and anxiety. Understanding why your mind gets stuck in these patterns is the first step towards breaking free from them. By uncovering the root causes of overthinking, you'll be better equipped to quiet your mind, stop the constant mental loops, and regain a sense of calm and control.

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In this episode, I'm sharing a powerful 4-step therapy intervention to help you start overcoming people-pleasing today.

I genuinely work through this in detail with people and it works!

If you know you have a tendency to put other people's needs before your own, say yes when you really want to say no, or abandon yourself in order to keep the peace, this episode is for you. People-pleasing is often a learned survival strategy, but healing requires us to develop new ways of relating to ourselves and others.

So grab a pen and paper, because this isn't just something you'll listen to, it's something you'll actively work through. I'll be guiding you through practical exercises and actionable steps that you can start implementing immediately to create lasting change.

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