Repressed emotions are not the same as suppressed emotions. Suppression happens when you actively push uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or memories out of your consciousness. This is because you don’t know what to do with them. Some people call suppression shutting down.
What does it mean to suppress your feelings?
When you choose to suppress your emotions, however, it means that you avoid allowing yourself to feel a particular emotion by either pushing it down and ignoring it, or using unhealthy coping mechanisms to distract yourself.
What happens when emotions are suppressed?
“Suppressing your emotions, whether it’s anger, sadness, grief or frustration, can lead to physical stress on your body. The effect is the same, even if the core emotion differs,” says provisional clinical psychologist Victoria Tarratt. “We know that it can affect blood pressure, memory and self-esteem.”
How do you supress your feelings?
Here are some pointers to get you started.
- Take a look at the impact of your emotions. Intense emotions aren’t all bad. …
- Aim for regulation, not repression. …
- Identify what you’re feeling. …
- Accept your emotions — all of them. …
- Keep a mood journal. …
- Take a deep breath. …
- Know when to express yourself. …
- Give yourself some space.
Is it OK to suppress emotions?
Studies have shown that suppressing emotions actually endangers your health and well-being, both physically and psychologically. Emotional suppression (having a stiff upper lip or “sucking it up”) might decrease outward expressions of emotion but not the inner emotional experience.
What is the difference between repression and suppression?
Repression vs.
Where repression involves unconsciously blocking unwanted thoughts or impulses, suppression is entirely voluntary. Specifically, suppression is deliberately trying to forget or not think about painful or unwanted thoughts.
Why can’t I express my emotions?
Researchers describe alexithymia as a construct relating to a difficulty experiencing, identifying, and expressing emotions. It is not a clinical diagnosis, and mental health professionals do not consider it a disorder, although it may occur alongside some mental health conditions.
Why do I not cry?
There are many reasons why you might struggle to shed a tear or two. It might be because of a physical ailment but, more often than not, an inability to cry says a lot about our emotional state, our beliefs and prejudices about crying, or our past experiences and trauma.
Why do I cry so easily?
“Many individuals who are high in neuroticism become hypersensitive to situations that trigger strong emotions, such as sadness,” he adds. In other words, those who have high neuroticism feel emotions very deeply, resulting in them crying more often.
How do I stop overreacting?
Here are 5 suggestions to help you stop overreacting:
- Don’t neglect the basics. …
- Tune in and name it. …
- Put a positive spin on it. …
- Breathe before responding. …
- Identify and resolve emotional “leftovers.” Notice patterns in your overreactions.