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The Negative Consequences Of Bottling Up Your Feelings
Some People are Afraid of Experiencing Feeling
Why do People Bottle up their Feelings
You are not alone if you suppress what you feel. You have difficulty expressing and experiencing your inner world. One of the main reasons you may not want to experience your emotions is that the negative feelings are painful. You may think you will start feeling an emotion, which will worsen.
Another reason you may bottle up your emotions is that you may feel embarrassed to express feelings in front of others. You may fear you will be judged. We abide by social skills and must use our judgment about appropriate methods to express feelings in certain places. Gould (2020) discusses the fear of vulnerability as a leading cause because people do not feel safe.
The third reason you may bottle up emotions is that you don't realize what you are feeling. The name for this is Alexithymia. Many people who have gone through childhood trauma learn to shut down their feelings and dissociate from their bodies. Some people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder neurologically do not recognize feelings. Also, some families and cultures do not express emotion, and that muscle never gets developed.
The Problems that can Occur IF You Bottle Up Emotions
