In my own, strictly personal case, avoiding triggers is an unrealistic expectation. In general, They are entirely too unpredictable. Even the ones I know about, like bright electric lights, are so common that I would need to spend the rest of my life in a cave to avoid them. I've even tried that one. Etc., etc., through a longer list than I care to type. Then we get to the still repressed memories.

You are not alone, PinkGnome. I, too, find trigger avoidance easier said than done and join you in believing it is better to take the proverbial bull by the horns and therapute rather than avoid.

For what it's worth:
I first learned "Trigger Warning" to mean *I* am triggered, fragile and in need of extra support. Handle with care. It never occurred to me that I could predict somebody else's triggers. But. . . That was a live Veteran's support group and many digital generations ago.

What kind of job do you have? safety is important or in your case impossible . I do not see your triggers getting better at work. grounding exercise is good for triggers at work aromatherapy products can help. XOXO hope triggers get better

it’s funny that i read his after my therapy appointment today because the ENTIRE thing was me listing my triggers and how to avoid them. And i kept getting more and more discouraged as it went on and eventually just stopped talking because i realized i can’t avoid them really and hearing about all the stupidly impossible ways to try to were making me upset because i don’t want to live like that :( sigh. if the there is a solution let me know! i’m curious too

I don't think its possible to avoid every trigger. I know i didn't recognize what triggered me to years after the fact. A good therapist will help you cope with your triggers. Do your best to recognize that your in a trigger when you are and tell yourself ok this is triggering and breath and breath theough it. then when you get a chance journal what triggered you and how you felt and remebered and just get it out. Just a thought. Xoxo

Thanks for the replies - the support is great.
I'm a high school teacher in an at-risk (borderline 'inner city') school. Gang involvement is relatively low, but that's because we've only merged two schools. The kids are still wildly out of hand this year.
It frustrates me a little because I see kids at school getting passes and special treatment for anxiety disorders - they can't be sat near the front of the room, they have to leave classes early to avoid the hall, they are automatically exempted from certain assignments, they are allowed to have headphones and be on their electronics whenever so that they can calm down from any trigger, they get their schedules completely rearranged if they feel at all uncomfortable - but here I am, their teacher, and I cannot get any of that. I have a student who was arrested for forcing himself on another student at school and attacking the cop that arrested him, and the kid was still allowed back to school. As if that's not stressful for any teacher, let alone someone like me.
Like I said, one of my triggers is red trucks. I can't live my life not driving anywhere. I live in the MidWest, about fifteen miles from the nearest city. I have to drive. I have to face my student. I have to deal with real life. There's no magical IEP or pass to let me off the hook, but that is all anyone tells me. "Avoid your triggers." I don't think anyone really understands just how unreasonable that is.
I think there's avoiding triggers and then there's dealing with them. Some triggers need to be avoided. Some need to be dealt with. I shouldn't have to face that student every single day, but I have to. That's a trigger that needs to be dealt with.
I dunno. Maybe this is more of a rant than anything else. It's just really frustrating.

My PTSD therapist worked with me on "exposure therapy" to my triggers so I could reduce their effect on me in order to lead a high functioning life as a college instructor. Avoiding them all was cramping my style, to put it mildly. As you say, it's impossible to go through a day without things getting loud, people yelling or without seeing a visual trigger.

Here's a link to an American Psychological Association article online describing what my PTSD therapist guided me through.

https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/prolonged-exposure.aspx

In my case, it even involved returning overseas to the site of multiple traumas I went through as a civilian in years of combat.

It really worked for me. I attribute lots of it to the fact that my therapist was specifically a PTSD therapist, not just a general therapist. I'd had those before and they didn't help much. His work with me as a PTSD specialist made all the difference. I recommend working with one.

The IEP system is abused left and right.

Some kids really truly need them, but others...

patti22 . Agreed. So much agreement.

I am Muji’s approach. Working with EMDR therapy to lessen the impact of triggers on my daily life. For me it is less avoiding, more managing the response. It has taken years but I am finally seeing the benefits. Healing hugs as you find your path.