Do you know what trigger warnings are? These 5 insightful illustrations explain.
Trigger warnings help us gain control over our emotional reactions.
You know the feeling when you're going about your day and you're suddenly struck with a deep pang of emotion?
Something you saw, heard, or witnessed subconsciously took you back to a traumatic event you experienced. That's a trigger.
For some people, these triggers can bring about unpleasant or even harmful emotions.
That's why it's important to be aware of how discussing certain issues might not just affect us, but also those around us.
Cartoonist and illustrator Madeleine Slade created this incredibly insightful comic detailing what trigger warnings are based on her personal experience. Not only is it brave, it's also important to understanding and being mindful of others sensitivities.
These comics explain how trigger warnings can help someone avoid a personal, emotional crisis:
Illustrations by M. Slade, featured with permission.
Illustrations by M. Slade, featured with permission.
Illustrations by M. Slade, featured with permission.
Illustrations by M. Slade, featured with permission.
Illustrations by M. Slade, featured with permission.
The 2016 presidential election will be triggering for people you know and love and maybe even for you personally.
If you're emotionally invested and can't control your feelings while talking politics, know you can leave the conversation before it turns into something damaging.
Stepping away can save you the anxiety of not knowing what to do because you're uncomfortable with the situation. Removing yourself from those triggering talks will help you remain focused, relaxed, and — most importantly — healthy.
An NPR survey recently found half of college professors have used trigger warnings before. The National Coalition Against Censorship explains that "in many cases, the request for trigger warnings comes from students themselves." They help students feel that they're in a safe space.
Whether you feel you need trigger warnings or not, it's important to understand what they are.
They're a way we can better understand each other. They help establish awareness of others and their emotions while discussing sensitive subjects. Trigger warnings are act of empathy.
Give your friends a heads up if you need trigger warnings, too. Kindly remind them how they help you stay healthy.
We can't control the things around us, but we can control our reactions to them. And that is always worth discussing.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."