Interesting Psychology Team
Many people feel pressured to bottle up their emotions and keep a calm composure. And you might be one of them. There can be several reasons why you might be repressing your feelings.
Perhaps the rigid structure of society forces you to present yourself a certain way, or you might recognize yourself as the glue that keeps your family and friends from falling apart. Or it could be that being vulnerable has hurt you in the past. Whatever the reason, one thing’s for sure, bottling up your feelings (whether it’s deliberate or not), can mess up your relationships and eventually lead to mental and physical consequences.
Here are 8 telltale signs that you’re holding back your emotions. If you relate to any of them, maybe itβs time to think things through and confront your feelings head-on.
1 – You Don’t Listen To Yourself
Do you remember the last time you truly listened to yourself? The last time you had an internal conversation and kept in touch with your heart? Maybe you can’t even remember. That’s one of the first indications that you might be emotionally repressed.
Itβs been a while since youβve taken the time to self-evaluate or listen to your subconscious side. Even when you feel bad and know that something is wrong, you never really try to find the root cause of this negative energy. You ignore it instead, believing it’ll disappear on its own.
2 – You Are Embarrassed By Anger And Sadness
If you’re a guy, you were probably taught that boys don’t cry. You grew up with the belief that men should just confront life’s challenges instead of sulking over them. And that any display of weakness or vulnerability is not a masculine trait. Throughout your life, you probably internalized these behavioral patterns.
If you’re a female, you were probably taught that girls should always keep their temper in check. You learned that a real woman should never reveal her anger or anxiety. Though you might not be consciously aware, these views affect the kind of person you are today.
Since you were a child, it’s been instilled in you that emotions such as sadness and anger are negative, and even though youβre older now, youβre still ashamed of expressing such emotions.
3 – You Never Talk About Your Emotions
A more upfront by-product of bottling up your emotions is that you never confide in anyone about your feelings. It’s not that you have to tell everyone around you about your inner dreams, fears, and secrets.
But you probably never reveal your deepest feelings to your close friends and family either. Even when you burst into tears, you do it alone and out of sight.No matter what your burdens are, you prefer resolving them in private, without anyone else’s involvement.
4 – You Are Guarded
Have people ever referred to you as closed off? I’m not just talking about one isolated instance. I’m talking about people actively knowing you as a guarded person. Now, being guarded isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Itβs simply a part of your personality. However, there has to be some kind of background or reason for it.
It might be an effort on your part to build a wall to protect your heart, which explains your tendency to be extra careful around others and rarely let anyone in. This is just another common indicator that you might be emotionally repressed.
