Mental Health, Emotional Triggers & Relationship Psychology
Ever wonder why stress makes us snap at loved ones? This quick read unpacks the psychology behind emotional triggers, control, and inner chaos—plus how to break the cycle and build healthier relationships.
MENTAL HEALTH
Khushboo- Psychologist
1 min read
Have you ever snapped at someone you care about for no real reason? Or felt the need to “fix” their mood when you were actually struggling with your own? That’s called projection. It’s when we take our inner stress or pain and place it on someone else—often without realizing it.
Most of the time, we’re not trying to hurt them. We just feel out of control inside, and it feels easier to focus on someone else’s emotions instead of our own. If they’re okay, maybe we’ll feel okay too. So we try to calm them down, make them happy, or stop them from being upset—not always because they need it, but because we do.
The strange thing is, the more we try to control how someone else feels, the more distant we end up feeling from them. Instead of real connection, the relationship can start to feel fake—like we’re all pretending to be happy or okay just to keep the peace. But deep down, what we really want is to be real with each other, not perfect.
Next time you feel the urge to step in and “fix” someone, pause and ask yourself: Am I doing this for them, or for me? Learning to sit with our own discomfort—and letting others have theirs—can create space for true connection. Love isn’t about managing each other’s emotions. It’s about being safe enough to feel them, together.
