“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” Sigmund Freud
It’s hard to be emotionally vulnerable, not everyone knows how to regulate their emotions, fear of judgement for showing emotions (shout out to all who were told they are “weak” for showing emotions), fear of rejection, feeling like your emotions don’t matter or for pure survival -- these are a few reasons people push their emotions down. Suppressing emotions might sound like a good plan… until it’s not. And just like Sigmund -- our father of modern psychology stated above, get ready because those feelings will show themselves one way or another.
Emotional suppression happens when uncomfortable thoughts and feelings are pushed out of the mind. Some people suppress by constantly distracting themselves from the emotions, placing all energy into something physical at the expense of dealing with your feelings on an emotional level, others might numb emotions with drugs & alcohol, or emotionally eat. Regardless of how you suppress your emotions, avoiding them can lead to problems with memory, aggression, anxiety, depression and/or stress related illnesses — impacting both the body and mind. A study from the University of Texas found that not acknowledging your emotions makes them stronger.
If you identify with this blog and avoid feeling your emotions, please give yourself some credit for acknowledging this as a problem. You are one step closer to making a life change that can benefit you both mentally and physically. Just like everything it in life, it will take patience and practice when learning to identify your emotions, sit with them, accept and cope with them. You can expect the road will have its challenges and be uncomfortable at times — which is okay. If you don’t know how to handle your emotions on your own, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Everyone needs support when working towards their goals. Being vulnerable may be difficult, but it’s also a strength, and you can do hard things! Just imagine a version of yourself in the future minus the years of emotional baggage you’ve been carrying for so long — it’s not helping you but dealing with it one piece at a time does. YOU GOT THIS!
