Excuse yourself to clam down. Then if the person will care, explain what happened so it doesn't happen again

My boyfriend did this the other night on accident. I walked away and when he came to find me I was balling and trying to explain what happened. He was actually very understanding. My suggestion is to try and calm down and then talk to them about why and how you were triggered.

I stay silent and smile or distract myself or flat out try to change the subject. And remember they have no idea or bad intentions because they do not know what your triggers are

I’m about to say basically what everyone else is saying, but it is about firstly making sure you’re checked in with yourself and calm first, and then secondly maintaining patience and respect for the person and confronting them about how and why what they said or did affected you, and letting them know what they can do to avoid triggering you in the future. You don’t have to explain everything since you don’t owe anyone that, but as long as you explain that it is upsetting to you it’s all good. And if you want you can talk to someone else to help you discuss it with the person. Like in a work environment, talking to a supervisor or another trusted coworker; the same applies to a friend group if it’s multiple people. Just be patient and respectful, but also firm, because this is your security and state of mind being threatened here. You’ve got this dude :)