United States Eventing Association

It’s never easy doing hard things, and sometimes those things can leave us feeling a bit baffled and belittled. If only there was a strategy that we could try during the holidays that would make those hard things a little easier. Surprise…there is! That strategy is a called a thought-trigger, and it’s the topic of this month’s Pressure Proof tip!

Thought-triggers are words or phrases we say to ourselves whenever we recognize we’re not really enjoying how we’re feeling. From sadness to show-jitters and from fears to failing, thought-triggers have the uncanny ability to turn feelings of chaos into calmness and stress into self-confidence.

The power behind thought-triggers comes from something called reciprocal inhibition, which basically means our brains are incapable of creating two opposing emotions at the same time (when one turns on, the other automatically turns off).

We’re simply incapable of being scared and confident at the same time. The same thing applies between stress and silly or happy and sad. What this really means is that we can learn to control our thoughts and feelings as long as we’re aware that focusing on happy blinds us to the sad. Even better, there are several different kinds of thought-triggers that you can select from!

Since it’s Thanksgiving season, lets being with the first: gratitude-triggers. These are words or phrases that stimulate our brains to feel thankful instead of discontent. “What’s something small that's working well today” or “What am I thankful for right now” are examples of gratitude-triggers because our brains can’t search for problems at the same time it’s searching for gratitude. Even the simple phrase, “thank you,” after a disappointment can trick your brain into looking for reasons you’re so happy.

Other options include possibility-triggers; words or phrases that remind us what’s going right rather than what’s going wrong. “What if this turns our better than I thought” or “What’s one small step I can take right now?” are good examples because they open our minds to possibilities instead of letting them close down.

Another option is strength-triggers like, “I’ve handled hard things before,” and they work because they allow our self-belief to inhibit the formation of doubtful thoughts.

My favorite trigger are what I like to call irony-triggers because we purposely respond in a way that’s very opposite of what’s expected. Directing the words, “Well played” to a fence that fell during a jump course creates a sort of game-play conversation, as in, “You got me this time, but watch out for next time.” I use “well played” often, and I’m always shocked at how well it works.

Another, even more simple option would be to simply say the word “good” after encountering a problem. The reason “good” works so “good” is because our brains are expecting the word “bad,” so when it hears the word “good” it begins to look for reasons why we’re so happy.

I've always said, “If you don’t like how you feel, change it,” but change can be really hard. Especially when it comes to mental and emotional struggles. That’s why tricks and strategies like thought-triggers can be such a lighthouse when we’re feeling a bit lost or helpless.

So this Thanksgiving why don’t we all give a little turkey and a trigger a try! Remember, thinking positively inhibits our brains ability to think negativity so let's all spend the holidays focusing on gratitude, possibilities, and our strengths. Even if the holidays aren’t perfect just say, “good" or “well-played” and get to making the rest of the holidays the best of the holidays!

I hope you enjoyed this month’s Pressure Proof tip and are looking forward to next month’s holiday message. I’m building my 2026 winter, spring, and summer clinic tours now. If you like more information or my clinics feel free to email me at [email protected] or visit my website at https://pressureproofacademy.com/clinics/