Triggered by Fireworks? Ways to Manage July 4th

Americans will soon gather at backyards, stadiums, parks, and pools all around the country to bbq, celebrate, and set off fireworks in honor of Independence Day. For most, this is a fun time to get together with family and friends and watch or partake in some fun fireworks displays. But for so many people, fireworks can be very triggering and are an incredibly difficult experience to get through. As a therapist treating anxiety and trauma in Washington, D.C., this is a problem that has come up for many of my clients and can make July 4th and the nights surrounding it truly challenging.

Why are fireworks triggering?

The barrage of loud, explosive sound can trigger a trauma response or overwhelm a sensitive/ dysregulated nervous system. The result is a physiological reaction most people are familiar with as fight or flight. This is an automatic, unconscious survival reaction; even if someone logically knows that they are safe, their body is reacting as if a life-threatening danger is imminent. Fight or Flight activates the sympathetic nervous system to elevate heart rate, tense major muscle groups, speed up breathing/hyper-ventilate, increase alertness/vigilance, and send blood away from vital organs (hence feeling light-headed, or having stomach aches as digestion slows to a halt). When there is even greater overwhelm, our bodies move from fight or flight to the freeze response, which results in feeling numb and disconnected, as our nervous system shifts into its last-ditch survival effort to “play dead” and turn off physical sensations to protect us from pain.

Feeling triggered by fireworks can be related to PTSD from war or combat experience, or from witnessing a shooting (which is affecting more and more people now- especially here in DC as gun violence has been steadily on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic). It can also be related to sensory issues which commonly occur with anxiety, ASD, highly sensitive or otherwise non-neurotypical people. Fireworks are a common trigger and something to be aware of and prepared for as we celebrate this holiday weekend.

What are ways to cope?

If you or a loved one struggle with feeling triggered by fireworks, know that there are several ways to prevent or soothe the fight-flight-freeze response. The goal is to signal safety to our bodies, and remain in a calm, parasympathetic nervous system state of rest and digest instead of fight/flight/freeze. Here are ways to do that:

• Prepare ahead of time with coping strategies, and make/communicate plans. If you can plan to be somewhere away from the noise, that’s great. If you are going to be somewhere you can hear fireworks, do you have an exit strategy worked out if needed? Can you bring noise-canceling headphones and listen to music? Would a fidget help to occupy your hands and distract you from discomfort? Think ahead about what you might bring with you, and how your friends or family members could help you if needed, and be sure to communicate these plans in advance.
• Start with a good baseline in your nervous system. If you have an exam, you sleep well the night before, have a good breakfast, and maybe take a walk or run that morning, so that your mind and body are in as good of a place as possible as you enter a stressful situation. You don’t want to be hungry, overtired, or wired before an important event right? The same goes for an anxiety-inducing situation like fireworks: prepare your coping skills beforehand, get plenty of rest the night before and be sure to eat and be active the day of- this helps you start with a good baseline that can absorb more stress.
• Practice deep breathing before and during the noise. Diaphragmatic breathing or “belly breathing” is our best brain hack for turning off fight/flight/freeze and returning to rest state. Try 4-7-8 breathing: breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, out for a count of 8, repeat for a few minutes or until calm.
• Ground your body into the present moment of safety using your 5 senses. Notice what you can see, taste, smell, touch, and hear directly around you. Focus intently on bodily sensations that are pleasant or neutral, like the taste of dessert or the feeling of the tip of your nose (this is a good neutral spot to focus on!).
• Use encouraging, non-judgmental, compassionate self-talk (or coaching if it is for your friend or family member). In a calm voice, use reminders like “This is hard but it is very temporary,” “These feelings and the noise will pass,” “My body is reacting to protect me, and I know I am safe,” “I am doing my best and doing a great job getting through this,” “I am going to be okay.” Choose a statement that feels true and feels helpful and soothing for you personally.
• If you become overwhelmed or highly distressed, try using TIPP skills to shift your physiological state: Temperature change (splash cold water on your face or drink something cold), Interval exercise (do jumping jacks or burpees), Paced breathing (like 4-7-8 from above), and Progressive muscle relaxation (tense your muscles for a few seconds then release, from head to toes in pairs).

Use any or all of these strategies and above all remember that this is a nervous system response to be aware of for yourself or others and not weakness or personal fault of any kind. If this July 4th is difficult, consider talking with a therapist to work on more ways to prevent and soothe trigger responses.

Wishing everyone a happy, safe and peaceful holiday celebration!