You are out there living life to the fullest and enjoying every passing moment. It seems as though you are floating on cloud nine and there’s nothing that’s going to bring you down. Then, it happens. An event takes place that reminds you of something that had a negative impact on your emotional state. You’re doing everything you can to stay positive. You know that you deal with the problem now, you’re digging up some emotions you’ve been burying for years.
That’s when life presents you with two different choices. You can tackle that emotional trauma, or you can repress it and hope it goes away. While suppressing your thoughts and feelings may be effective for a while, it only means that the problem is going to come back around at some point, and chances are, it’s going to be a lot worse. Those repressed emotions never completely go away until you do something with them. By breaking free from those situations that you’ve buried for so many weeks, months, or even years, you’ll be amazed at how much more positive you can live out each day once again.
How to Recognize Repressed Emotions Symptoms
Most often, repressed emotions have been that way for decades or since childhood. You may have been part of a tragic accident or some other traumatic experience. There may have even been counseling or some other form of therapy involved to help you in dealing with the issue. That doesn’t always mean that it has been completely cleared up, however.
As a child, you tend to do what adults tell you to. At some point, your parents or another guidance figure talked to you about how you should be feeling better, even if you aren’t. You go along with it because you think that’s how you’re supposed to react. Now, as an adult, those repressed emotions are coming back with a vengeance. They can show up unannounced in a vast number of ways. Some of the symptoms associated with repressed emotions include:
- Insomnia or trouble sleeping
- Inability to form tight relationships
- Struggle with intimacy
- Little to no emotion leading to overreactions
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Weight problems
- Poor immune system
- Physical pain
Most of these symptoms you can shrug off. That’s another common occurrence with those that are dealing with repressed emotions. He or she, or you, may feel all the time that “I’m fine,” even though you aren’t fine at all. You’re a people pleaser; someone that doesn’t like to start too many problems for others even if it means more pain for you. You certainly don’t want all the attention on you either.
Physical Manifestation of Emotional Pain
While each symptom alone can be challenging to deal with, the one of physical pain that is caused by repressed emotions has the highest probability of affecting your everyday life. It is no secret that emotional issues can lead to physical health problems. Throughout the world, up to 80% of Americans will deal with back issues at some point in their lives. One emotional reason for lower back pain is stress, and stress can very easily come from trying to repress your feelings.
While you are busy holding in what you are afraid of hurting you, your body is doing whatever it can to protect you. Your muscles tense up involuntarily, and that can lead to various painful symptoms including:
- Headaches
- Neck Pain
- Back Aches
- Wrist Pain
- Knee Problems
- Hip Discomforts
When your emotional pain has reached a point where it’s causing you physical pain, it’s time to get treatment. The problem isn’t going to go away on its own. It’s only going to get worse the longer you try to suppress your emotions from childhood or any other traumatic emotional experience from years gone by.
How to Stop Repressing Feelings and Get Back on the Right Track
You want to be out there living your best life. That may be why you decided to repress your feelings in the first place. Now in your adult years, you don’t want to have to bring up something that happened so long ago. What good is it going to do? You are worried that you are only going to feel pain, sadness, and anger, and nobody wants to feel those emotions. However, it’s how you are going to be able to live your true best life and not one with buried emotions.
There are many different treatment options when it comes to getting your life back. There is a mind and body connection that has been proven time and time again through various studies and research dating back as far as the 1800s. When you clear your mind, your physical health will follow and improve as well.
If you are someone who often finds yourself overreacting to situations, getting hurt easily, or you have problems with socializing, it is time to seek out therapy with a professional. Those emotions need to be let out in a safe and controlled environment with someone who has the tools and knowledge to help you work through them. There are four steps that everyone must go through to full release repressed emotions.
- Awareness
- Acceptance
- Allowance
- Release
How you actively get through these will be determined on which type of treatment option you and your team of healthcare professionals decide is best for you. You can opt for:
- Sound therapy
- Massage
- Yoga
- Chiropractic treatments
- Medication
These days, most people are opting for the least invasive form of treatment as to avoid other side effects from causing issues in their lives. You can visit a chiropractic doctor to discuss your physical problems after attending a psychological appointment if you and your doctor determine that the release of your muscle tension will be better for your body and mind connection.
Free at Last
The amount of weight that gets lifted off of your shoulders after you find an effective treatment plan for your repressed emotions is going to be the most significant accomplishment you ever feel up to that point in your life.
Your relationships will improve, you’ll be better capable of dealing with problems when they arise, and your overall health and well-being will progress drastically. After all of these years, it’s time to take your problems and lay them all out on the table. The freedom you feel will make you wish you would have done it a lot sooner.
Dr. Brent Wells, a graduate from the University of Nevada and Western States Chiropractic College opened his office, Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab in 1998 with one goal in mind; helping his patients live a better a lifestyle. He is passionate about seeing an overall improvement in health and well-being and works compassionately with each client to achieve their wellness goals through chiropractic care. The primary focus is to create a completely united body functioning so that every patient can be the best version of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally with routine care.
Image courtesy of Kinga Cichewicz.
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