User blog:Wemrotung/Squicks vs Triggers

I feel like a lot of people confuse squicks and triggers, so I wanted to bring this up.

A trigger is something that triggers memories of traumatic events, anxiety, relapse, or other forms of distress or disruption. Triggers are tied to trauma, neurodivergence, and mental illness.

A squick is something that causes discomfort or disgust, but is not as intense or severe as a trigger, and is not necessarily tied to trauma, neurodivergence, or mental illness.

Triggers and squicks can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between, but please try to be mindful when labeling something as a trigger. Experiencing discomfort is not necessarily the same thing as being triggered, and watering down the definition of triggers can further stigma and misunderstandings about what they are.

On a side note, please be careful when sharing information about your triggers online. It is safest to only share that information privately with people you know you can trust, such as close friends. Sharing public information about your triggers can be dangerous if that information falls into the wrong hands. I've noticed a lot of people on here are publicly sharing information about their triggers, and it is very concerning to me. Please be cautious.