I hate the slangification of the the word triggered. I hate that people with CPTSD & other mental illnesses have been made to look like fools for saying, "This triggers me."

Triggered is a medical term for what causes people to re-experience trauma. It's not a synonym for offended. It's not a damn meme.

I know I can't 100% avoid triggers. I do multiple things in my daily life that are triggering- making phone calls to my parents, going to counseling, having sex, etc. I understand I cannot bend the world to make me more comfortable and confronting triggers is part of the trauma healing experience.

I appreciate people who put trigger warnings in their posts and I love how we have developed a new term for the long-lasting effects of PTSD (complex post traumatic stress disorder) and defined PTSD as not always being combat related.

Yet there has been a huge backlash of people making fun of those who experience trauma. Triggered has been demoted to a mere meme, essentially becoming the new "snowflake" insult. The meaning of the word triggered has become so perverted and derogatory now, I don't feel safe using it outside of counseling or doctors offices for fear of harassment from other people.

I've tried to nicely correct people and let them know triggered doesn't mean the same thing as offended and the responses I've received in return were downright filthy. Triggered is just a buzzword now and trauma survivors are the butt of the joke.