When Other People’s Dragons Attack: How to Protect Your Brain from External Emotional Triggers

Your brain is not an isolated fortress; it exists in a web of relationships and social interactions. Just as you have emotional dragons, so do those around you—parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, and even strangers. These external dragons can roar and breathe fire into your emotional landscape, triggering your own dragons and creating turmoil within and around you.

Emotional contagion is a well-documented phenomenon where the emotions of others influence our own feelings and behaviors. For example, a family dinner filled with unresolved anger and judgment can activate your internal dragons, causing overreactions or withdrawal. Similarly, passive-aggressive comments from friends or critical voices from parents can ignite anxiety and shame.

The digital age has introduced new external dragons. Internet trolls and social media negativity act as digital dragons, spreading judgment, anger, and anxiety. Their attacks can feel personal and overwhelming, even though they often reflect the trolls' own emotional wounds.

One woman learned to soften her judgmental dragons by understanding the pain behind her family’s harsh voices and practicing forgiveness through a structured model involving empathy and commitment to release resentment. Another person found relief by limiting social media use and setting firm boundaries with toxic contacts.

Protecting your brain requires awareness of these external influences and intentional strategies. Setting healthy boundaries, cultivating empathy, engaging in digital detox, and practicing selective exposure are powerful tools to maintain your emotional balance.

By learning to recognize and manage the dragons of others, you strengthen your own emotional resilience and create space for peace and connection.

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