Perhaps you felt it would be simpler to ignore them than to confront them directly, or you didn’t want to burden others. It seems like a good idea, there may be more risks involved.
Bottling up your emotions may appear like an effective way to handle conflict or keep your cool, but it can hurt your physical and mental well-being. Consider this: holding in your feelings is like shaking the beverage can without opening it. The pressure eventually reaches a point where it may erupt, and it generally happens at the worst possible time.Â
Hidden feelings linger and can cause you to experience tension, anxiety, or even depression. They don’t just go away.
Sudden mood swings, such as sudden shifts from happiness to sadness or anger without apparent cause, may indicate that someone is suppressing their feelings. When we don’t process our emotions, pressure builds up inside us.
Even in situations where nothing big has occurred, this might cause someone to appear happy one minute and angry or irritated the next. These fluctuations in mood occur due to the suppressed emotions aiming to surface. The individual experiencing it and others around them may find this perplexing and exhausting.Â
Constant feeling of disconnection may be an indication that you are repressing your emotions if you feel emotionally numb or disconnected from both others and yourself. And in case, if you are stuffing your feelings down your throat can make you feel like you’re just existing, not living.Â
Your mind’s attempt to shield you from the intense emotions you’re trying to avoid is this numbness.Â
Sleep problems, such as insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, or recurrent nightmares, maybe a sign of unresolved emotional problems. It is difficult to unwind and get a good night’s sleep when you suppress your feelings since your mind is always focused on tension and worry.Â
This continuous stress can throw off your sleep cycles, leaving you exhausted and more anxious during the day.Â
When you overreact to small issues, it could indicate that you are trying to release stored-up feelings. An example of this would be an excessive reaction to petty matters. Even small incidents might generate an excessive response when emotions are pent up because the underlying stress and irritation are trying to find a way to be let out.
It’s possible to avoid dealing with your emotions by procrastinating or putting off chores and responsibilities. It may be simpler to put off your work in snooze mode and divert your attention.Â
But remember!Â
When you’re feeling overtaken by unresolved emotions then it is wise to confront your true concerns.Because of accumulation of tasks and unresolved emotions, avoidance can exacerbate stress and anxiety.
Your body may be reacting to the stress of unresolved emotions if you become sick frequently. Your immune system can be weakened by suppressing your emotions, which increases your vulnerability to illness. Your physical health is negatively impacted by this ongoing stress, which increases your risk of infections, colds, and other ailments. Even poor gut health as a result of stress.
If you find someone consistently presents as emotionally flat or detached—even in circumstances when emotional reactions are expected—it may be a sign of repressed emotions.Â
In any situation, someone who suppresses their actual feelings may come across as uncaring or emotionless. They may become emotionally detached from both themselves and those around them as a result of this emotional flatness, which may be a protective tactic to avoid dealing with deeper emotions.Â
Suppressed emotions can manifest as constant assurance that everything is OK or an excessive emphasis on good things to avoid admitting any bad sensations.Â
Positive reinforcement may be a coping mechanism for someone who finds it difficult to deal with negative feelings. An imbalance in their emotional well-being may result from this overemphasis, which can keep individuals from acknowledging and processing their actual emotions.Â
One strategy for avoiding dealing with emotions is to work excessively or seek perfection. People frequently use their work immersion or setting of unreasonably high expectations as a coping mechanism to keep from facing their emotions.Â
While this never-ending hustle and unwavering quest for excellence offer a momentary reprieve from emotional problems, they can eventually cause burnout and elevated stress levels.
A person may not be expressing their genuine feelings when they engage in passive-aggressive behavior, such as sarcasm or subtle insults. Individuals who find it difficult to communicate their annoyance directly may turn to indirect means of communicating their feelings. They can let out some of their suppressed feelings through this activity without having to deal with them head-on.Â
On the other hand, it could lead to miscommunications and conflict in relationships.
It’s fine if you still wish to keep a few things private. However, circumstances change when we start repressing our emotions and hold them back. Remember! We all can benefit from effective emotional management techniques.Â
Here is the thing: when you bottle up your emotions, you also feed the bottle with anger, sadness, frustration, aggression, etc. You also become a victim of poor mental health, and in some cases, brain stroke, poor heart health, and hormonal imbalance in individuals. And as Yuvraj Singh claims, it may also lead to the formation of many bad cells, which further leads to cancer.Â
Our mental health is greatly benefitted when we confront and manage our emotions well. So one must regularly journal their emotions, practice gratitude, practice positive self-talk, distract, or use the feel wheel to manage your emotions well. And if things work, you can always consult a psychologist for your overall well-being.
For both mental and physical well-being, we must learn to face and control our emotions and thus live healthier, and more balanced lives.