What It Means To Be "Triggered"

I didn't really understand what being triggered meant until very recently. People often say it, using it more lightly than it should be used. I didn't understand the extent to a trigger until I experienced it myself. Until today, I didn't even know that that's what it was called; "it" being my reaction to an extremely complicated and difficult situation. A quick summary of what happened: a "friend" of mine told one of my other friends that she had hurt herself/wanted to do so again. Not to be harsh, but what she did was very much so for attention. I know, I know, self-harm doesn't mean someone wants attention, it means they need help. Trust me, I know. But in this case, she lied about hurting herself and then proceeded to imply that it was because we had asked her for space, which we had done because she had been affecting our mental health immensely and was causing conflicts within the friend group. But regardless, I knew that she was in a bad situation and regardless of whether or not it was true/for attention, I brought it to the attention to her parents and the school. The first time I was triggered was in our initial conversation of confronting her. My heart was beating so fast and so strongly, I could hear my heartbeat even though the room was filled with voices. My hands were shaking, my entire body was, and I was having similar symptoms to my usual panic attacks, but at the same time, very different symptoms. I didn't feel like I was suffocating, I was just very afraid and very confused. It felt like my body was reacting to the situation in a completely different way than my mind was. The next day, the same thing happened when I called her parents. My mind was strong, I knew I was doing the wrong thing and didn't feel very nervous talking to her parents, but my body was doing all these strange things. But then everything changed. I was having CONSTANT panic attacks for days. My body was so tired, I wanted to cry but felt numb, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't function. Nothing was working. And now I realized that it was because we were constantly talking about her. Once our conversations about her diminished, my body's reaction did as well. I felt physically a lot better, but mentally still felt very off. I pushed my feelings aside because I didn't have time to deal with my issues. Then, a few days later, something odd happened. I was telling a trusted adult about the situation and my hands started shaking. I felt physically fine, wasn't anxious, wasn't showing any other symptoms, but my hand was shaking. I thought it was strange, but that was all. Little things like this continued to happen, especially when I'd see her. I'd get extremely annoyed and frustrated, and my body would have these physical reactions. Then today, I got a snapchat from her asking to go for dinner. I was sitting in a classroom, minutes before an exam. My body freaked. I was shaking, my mind was rambling, I wanted to scream, and my heart was beating so hard and so fast. I quickly put my phone again and did some breathing exercises to calm myself down, but continued to think about her throughout the exam. I finished the exam in 25 minutes, rushing through it, unable to check over my answers, and left the room. So, what does this mean? A trigger is an event or a stimulus that causes a reaction, whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically. It's not something you can control and it can happen when you don't want it to. It can be confusing and the reactions may vary, but something small can trigger a reaction. If you notice yourself feeling strange after being repeatedly exposed to a similar situation or person, it may mean you are being triggered. Remember, listen to your body and accept your thoughts and feelings. Your body is smart, it may be trying to tell you something!