Confidence

Encouragement

Want to publicly commit to a change goal for this week?

Committing to a personal change goal, especially one related to emotional regulation and Self-awareness, can feel daunting. However, sharing these intentions publicly, even within a supportive community, can provide powerful motivation and accountability. It transforms a private wish into a stated objective, making us more likely to follow through and fostering a sense of shared experience with others navigating similar challenges.

We asked our community to share their change goals for the week, specifically inviting them to make a public commitment. This encourages members to articulate their intentions clearly and draw strength from the collective effort. Knowing others are also working on managing reactions, understanding triggers, or improving communication can be incredibly validating and inspiring.

Several key themes emerged from the responses. Many focused on managing anger and reactivity, particularly towards loved ones or in stressful situations like work. Others centered on increasing self-awareness of emotional triggers and physical warning signs. There was also a strong emphasis on shifting perspectives, practicing detachment, improving communication, and implementing specific coping strategies like pausing before reacting.

Common Goals and Challenges Shared by Our Community

Managing immediate emotional reactions, especially anger and frustration.
Increasing self-awareness of personal triggers in various situations (work, relationships, daily life).
Improving communication by avoiding defensiveness, arguments, or giving the cold shoulder.
Developing and practicing specific coping mechanisms like pausing, breathing, reframing thoughts, and detaching.
Shifting perspective away from victimhood or the need to be right towards empathy and understanding.

Our community discussed

How Can I Better Manage Anger and Negative Reactions to Triggers?

Many community members shared their goal to gain better control over immediate emotional responses, particularly anger. This often involves recognizing triggers and consciously choosing a different reaction than the habitual one.

Chloe

5 months ago

My goal this week is to notice triggers and try not to react negatively to them.

281

Martina

5 months ago

my goal is to stop when i'm starting to feel anger coming and cold things up. take distance. use empathy

315

Sarah

8 months ago

My goal is to try and remain calm at work when dealing with difficult customers.

195

Florian

7 months ago

My goal is not to get angry with every little thing that I could be bothered by. I want to let room for mistakes and zoom out.

255

Our community discussed

Developing Self-Awareness: How Can I Recognize My Emotional Triggers?

A crucial step towards managing reactions is developing greater Self-awareness around what sets them off. Members discussed focusing on identifying specific triggers, thoughts, and early warning signs before emotions escalate.

Dunia

8 months ago

My goal is to be more aware of thoughts and anger triggers at work: especially in emails which often take me by surprise. A first step towards managing the emotions that result

263

Kristen

7 months ago

My goal is to notice my trigger emotions before I get swept up in anger. i just got this app a few weeks ago but it’s already been a game changer, bc it’s helped me discover i get mad from the same two trigger emotions every single time. noticing why i’m mad allows me to see outside of the feeling and calm down before i embarrass myself. sending lots of love and support to everyone on this app!!! ❤️

341

Elizabeth

6 months ago

I’m just starting out with my journey on this app. My goal is to every day this week go through/ act out my warning signs of anger physically and verbally to help train my brain to look out for those signs in moments of anger and snap myself back into control. 7 days, let’s do this.

227

Emily

5 months ago

Practice noticing and catching signs that relate to my anger to better know when to practice techniques. Then, also noticing what techniques would work best for me in different situations.

290

Our community discussed

How Can Shifting My Perspective Improve Communication and Reduce Conflict?

Goals often extended beyond internal feelings to interpersonal dynamics. Members shared intentions to change how they communicate and perceive situations, aiming to reduce conflict by avoiding defensiveness, arguments, or taking things personally.

Asia

7 months ago

I’ll try not to feel like a victim because of the pregnancy pains I’m experiencing and not let that affect my mood and take it on the people around me.

188

Aliyah

7 months ago

I won’t argue all week

152

Jesus

7 months ago

Going to do my best to not get defensive over something small wether it’s a critique or a constructive criticism. I can tend to attach my emotions to certain things being said about or to me.

305

7 months ago

Not to have to constantly prove my point and explain why I think I’m right all the time, accept that the other person is dealing with something deeper and it’s not about me

275

Our community discussed

What Practical Coping Strategies Help in Moments of Stress or Anger?

Beyond identifying issues, members committed to specific actions and techniques. These strategies focus on creating space between stimulus and response, grounding oneself, and actively practicing calmness.

Natalie

7 months ago

I’m going to try to take a breath and pause before I react. I think it’s going to be really tough but I need to start somewhere. I just feel way too triggered all the time!!!

320

Joel

6 months ago

I know I’ll feel guilty afterwards. I need to pause and take time to RESPOND, rather than react immediately.

240

Rachael

6 months ago

My goal is to look for a certain color when I feel angry because I’m not perfect and neither are my kids

199

kirsten

7 months ago

This seems so simple yet is sooooo hard to but let’s do it ! Breathe in hold breathe out no good no bad just air

165

Advice from our community

How to Cultivate Self-Awareness and Manage Reactions Based on Real Experiences

Identify Your Triggers and Warning Signs: Actively notice the specific situations, thoughts (like emails), or physical sensations that precede anger or reactivity. Understanding these patterns is the first step to changing them (Chloe, Dunia, Kristen, Elizabeth).
Practice the Pause: When triggered, consciously create space before responding. Take a breath, count, look for a specific color, or physically step away to cool down (Natalie, Joel, Martina, Rachael, kirsten).
Reframe Your Perspective: Challenge the urge to be defensive, feel like a victim, or need to be right. Consider detachment, empathy, or zooming out to see the bigger picture (Asia, Jesus, Mariah, Florian, 'a').
Focus on Responding, Not Reacting: Acknowledge the trigger or emotion, but actively choose a calmer, more constructive response instead of an immediate, potentially regrettable reaction (Joel, Chloe, Courtney).