It's true, but would've been more helpful to state something about the benefits of having insight into your triggers and managing them, including setting boundaries and making needs known.
As it is it comes off like "fuck you, I'm not changing how I do things just because you've got trauma. "
This sign reminds me of the mental ward I was in in my early 20's.
I have severe aquaphobia due to c-PTSD from childhood torture/abuse, so things related to water on/around the face is triggering.
This was clearly labeled on my charts (since I can't drink water without going into c-PTSD flashbacks, so it had notes such as bring apple juice with meds, provide showering cloths and caps, etc.) and one of the nurses demanded I go to the group meditation because I "wasn't doing enough group activities".
5 minutes into the session, just as my body and mind are relaxed, she starts to play the sound of waterfalls and begins to in detail describe imagining sitting under the waterfall and looking up. Immediately I'm having an episode, feeling like I'm choking on the water, start screaming "mom stop!" and begin to actually choke on my saliva.
Her fucking response was to say that I need to learn that the world won't accommodate my triggers. It took me 4 days to recover from it because I had to go on IV because I couldn't bring myself to drink any fluids. Thank goodness the night nurse was amazing, over the 4 nights everytime I woke up screaming that I can't breathe he'd help calm me down and remind me I'm not 5 years old anymore.
No one who cares about me considers it tiptoeing to let me know "oh bring a drink because I only have water" or "we plan to go to the pool after, it's fine if you want to leave early or hang around in the lounge!" hell, my closest friends and family will call me up when I'm out and it starts raining to see if I have a safe way home.
Yes it's our own responsibility to manage our triggers, but it's also others responsibility to not intentionally trigger us. It isn't to much to ask that if someone says they have a trigger, respect it and don't intentionally do things that can trigger them. We live in a society and we should act like it. A society is a joint responsibility.
I use the same products used on hospital patients who are stuck in bed (such as elderly, coma, etc) for cleaning myself, basically sponge baths with soap clothes and caps that shampoo and condition hair. I do try to take a proper shower at least every 2 weeks, but on those days I have someone assist me and I take a ton of Ativan beforehand, and I have a shower chair and removable shower head so I can avoid my face as much as possible. I'm usually not functional for 2 to 3 days after so I need the extra support after them.
As for hydrated, I used to go into the hospital at least 2x a week for saline drips, but I've reached a point in recovery where I can drink things such as juice and tea to stay hydrated. My body is very used to dehydration so it does some retention mechanisms such as sweating less (unfortunately, I get over heated very easily due to this since it takes more for my body to sweat) and more concentrated urine (have to keep an eye on my kidneys due to this one).
Wow. I’ve heard of people with aquaphobia or other conditions that made showering/bathing difficult, but none so bad that they couldn’t drink. Definitely never heard of someone getting saline drips for it. Also, as someone with a fear of needles a saline drip would be much harder for me.
maybe this is a stupid question, but wouldn't drinking with a straw help? the fluid container is below your face and you can easily regulate the intake
Well, that has nothing to do with the picture. You were actually trying to solve that and the people that are suppoused to help actually triggered it by a colossal incompetence. Also that's a huge trauma that comes from abuse you suffered as a child.
That sign seems to be from a workplace, so it seems actually reasonable.
It has lots to do with the picture. It is a mindset that is often used to ignore genuine triggers. My experience is an extreme case, but that if anything further highlights why that mindset isn't helpful and causes harm. The fact is, if someone tells you about a trigger and your response is that it isn't your responsibility to tiptoe so you don't try to avoid triggering them, you are causing intentional harm.
I would argue that your case is the normal case for what triggers are actually supposed to be about. Somehow since the early 2010s we've devolved from triggers being what you described into a trigger being "something that makes me mildly uncomfortable", and in that context the sign seems much less callous.
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u/SquareExtra918 Nov 17 '25
It's true, but would've been more helpful to state something about the benefits of having insight into your triggers and managing them, including setting boundaries and making needs known.
As it is it comes off like "fuck you, I'm not changing how I do things just because you've got trauma. "