The first step to mastering your response is to see clearly the situations that pull you off balance. Often, our most costly patterns are so familiar, they slip past unnoticed until we are already reacting.

This list is not meant to be complete or prescriptive. Think of it as a set of prompts. Some scenarios may feel uncannily familiar, others not at all. Either way, they are here to help you recognise patterns and draw connections to the unique, recurring situations where you pay the highest Reaction Tax.

Leadership and Responsibility

Triggers often tied to team dynamics, public pressure, and the weight of responsibility

• A team member misses a critical deadline, triggering panic, and a sharp reaction

• Receiving blunt or unexpected criticism in a public meeting

• A colleague taking credit for your work, leaving you struggling for an effective response

• Constant context switching from Slack notifications and emails fragmenting your focus

• Feeling a surge of rage when a driver cuts you off on the way to an important presentation

• Your boss repeatedly micromanages a project that is still on track, triggering irritation

• Managing an underperforming employee, triggering anxiety and dread

• A key decision being made without your input, making you feel undervalued

• Staying silent in a meeting to avoid conflict, even when you know an idea is flawed

• The afterburn of a tense meeting lingering for hours, affecting your energy at home

• A late-night urgent message from a team member pulling you back into work mode

• A wave of imposter syndrome when asked to present to senior leadership

• A long to-do list creating a sense of dread and decision fatigue

• A meeting running long and derailing your afternoon

• Saying yes to a request that eats into your personal time, leading to resentment

Work–Life Balance and Relationships

Triggers related to blurred boundaries, mental load, and personal dynamics

• A short fuse with your kids or partner after a long day of managing the invisible mental load

• Feeling resentment when a small request feels like the final straw

• Your partner responding with a practical solution instead of empathy when you are overwhelmed

• A family member’s passive-aggressive comment about your work-life balance

• The guilt of saying no to a personal commitment because of work, or vice versa

• A child’s meltdown at the worst possible moment (for example, just before a work call or during!)

• Feeling unheard or dismissed by your partner when you share about your day

• The chaos of household logistics feeling completely overwhelming

• Responding defensively when your partner comments on your stress levels

• Feeling unappreciated after significant effort at home

• Constant guilt of not giving 100 percent to either your career or your family

• A sudden change in family plans triggering frustration and disappointment

• Doom scrolling after the kids are in bed instead of resting

• Realising you have no me-time, leading to burnout

• Decision fatigue making even dinner choices feel exhausting

Focused or High-Skill Work

Triggers tied to focus, performance pressure, and remote work challenges

• Constant Slack or email notifications hijacking your flow state

• A blunt comment in a review that feels like a personal attack

• A sudden system outage or production bug triggering panic and self-blame

• A wave of imposter syndrome when asked for expert input on a complex topic

• A senior leader asking you to drop everything for an unplanned “urgent” task

• Decision fatigue after dozens of technical choices in a single day

• Seeing a peer post a major career win online, triggering comparison

• Pressure to be online and responsive at all hours

• Procrastination on a difficult task adding background stress

• A technical disagreement that feels personal and tense

• Feeling isolated after a full day of remote work without connection

• Your brain refusing to “shut off” after deep work, affecting sleep

• A meeting that runs over, wiping out your deep work time

• Vague or constantly shifting project requirements causing frustration

• A short fuse at home after a mentally taxing day

Your personal triggers might appear on this list or they might be entirely different. What matters is that you identify the ones that cost you the most in energy, peace, and clarity.

From these examples and your own experiences, choose the three scenarios that hit hardest. Write them down. This is your Trigger Hotlist and it will guide your practice for the rest of the challenge.

Stay Samatva

Reshma Krishnan

Founder, Samatva Inner Alchemy Centre (SIA)

Championing emotional literacy and inner command

© 2025 Reshma Krishnan. All rights reserved.