Feelings + Overwhelm / kids · teens · adults / Reflect
What Happened Before This?
Big reactions usually have a build-up, not a single cause.
What this is for
A reaction seemed to come from nowhere, or way bigger than the moment that triggered it — and it's confusing afterward.
When to use it
After a reaction has passed, when you're trying to understand what actually happened.
What you leave with
A short trace back through what was already loading before the trigger hit.
1 / 2
What was the thing right before the reaction?
Pick one to keep going.
Why this can help
Emotional reactions rarely come from a single trigger alone — they usually sit on top of accumulated load (tiredness, hunger, sensory noise, earlier stress), which is why the same trigger doesn't always produce the same reaction.
cumulative stress / allostatic load framing
