After a life-altering event has occurred in our lives, instead of sharing our emotions with another individual, we tend to bottle it up and let those emotions fester, assuming it would be safer to do so. However, not sharing certain emotions can have a negative impact on one’s mental and physical health.
Dr Colleen Mullen PsyD explains to the health and wellness-focused publication VeryWell Mind, “The reasons we sometimes – or most times – bottle up our emotions can vary, but they all seem to stem from a fear of vulnerability. Out of this fear, we react through self-protective emotional measures. Bottling up emotions provides a false sense of emotional safety.”
Below are a few reasons why bottling up emotions is bad for your overall health:
Can strain our mental health
VeryWell Mind states that suppressing emotions can impact our self-confidence. “Over time, we may feel like nobody cares about our needs or desires and that our opinion or voice doesn’t matter.” The medical info hub continues, “It can also cause us to feel stressed, depressed, or anxious. In some cases, we may even feel deeply angry or rageful and develop feelings of resentment toward others.”
May experience digestive issues
The health and lifestyle publication Health Shots explains that when the brain experiences stress, it may affect the gut too. This can be through stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, which further slows down one’s metabolism and subjects them to many more issues.
Regular headaches may occur
“Headaches on a regular basis without any underlying physical ailments could imply that you are struggling to keep your emotions under control,” says Health Shots. “When this happens, you also find it hard to focus and find yourself mostly distracted.”
Impacts social relationships
As humans are social creatures, not adequately expressing ourselves impedes relationships from growing in meaningful ways, says VeryWell Mind. Marriage and family therapist Shari Foos says, “Human-to-human contact can help balance our nervous system and allows for a broader perspective, protecting us from digressing into loops of fear and false beliefs.” She adds that unless we are open and honest, we may not be seen or known, and if we are not known, we may not be loved for who we truly are.
Also see: 4 Ways to help a suicidal friend
