Search results
eMotion reGulation Handout 4a (Emotion Regulation Worksheet 3) myths about emotions 1. There is a right way to feel in every situation. Challenge: 2. Letting others know that I am feeling bad is a weakness. Challenge: 3. Negative feelings are bad and destructive. Challenge: 4. Being emotional means being out of control. Challenge: 5.
This worksheet helps you figure out whether it is the event that is causing your emotion, your interpretation of the event, or both. Use your mindfulness skills of observing and describing. Observe the facts, and then describe the facts you have observed. Step. 1. Step. 2.
- 1MB
- 61
- Overview
- Why does it happen?
- What kinds of emotions get repressed?
- Can it really lead to physical symptoms?
- How do I know if I have repressed emotions?
- Is it possible to release them?
- The bottom line
Repressed emotions refer to emotions that you unconsciously avoid. These differ from suppressed emotions, which are feelings you purposely avoid because you don’t know exactly how to deal with them.
Say you and your partner have a fight and decide to break up one evening. You still have to meet with an important client at work the next day, so you decide to suppress, or push aside, your feelings until you get home from that meeting.
Suppression can sometimes be a good short-term solution, as long as you make sure to address those emotions sooner rather than later.
Repressed emotions, on the other hand, don’t get a chance to be processed. But that doesn’t mean they simply disappear. Instead, they might show up as a range of psychological or physical symptoms.
Emotional repression often relates to childhood experiences.
Much of what children learn about behavior and communication comes from their primary caregivers.
So, you’ll probably feel pretty comfortable expressing your emotions if your caregivers:
•frequently talked about their feelings
•encouraged you to share how experiences made you feel
•normalized your positive and negative emotional experiences
For the most part, people tend to repress strong emotions, especially those associated with discomfort or other unpleasant experiences.
This includes emotions like:
•anger
•frustration
•sadness
•fear
“Hold on,” you might think. “My emotions don’t make me sick… do they?”
They actually can, in a way.
There’s no evidence to suggest emotions directly cause illness, of course. Sadness can’t give you the flu, and anger doesn’t cause cancer.
But research has linked emotional repression to decreased immune system function. If your immune system doesn’t work properly, you might get sick more frequently and recover slowly.
Repressed emotions can also factor into mental health conditions, such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
These issues often cause physical symptoms, including:
It’s not always easy to recognize when you’re dealing with emotional repression, and there’s no definitive test you can take.
If you do have repressed emotions, however, you might notice a few key signs. These signs might show up in your feelings or your behavior — both toward yourself and other people.
If you have trouble expressing or regulating your emotions, talking to a mental health professional is a good first step.
A therapist can help you explore potential causes of repressed emotions and offer guidance and support as you begin to address these reasons.
Therapy also provides a safe space to:
•work on naming and understanding your feelings
•increase your comfort level around talking about emotions
•learn more helpful methods of emotional regulation
It’s natural to want to avoid feeling bad. Plenty of people feel at least a little afraid of confronting deep, intense emotions, especially those they link to unpleasant or unwanted experiences.
While it may sound a little counterintuitive, learning to embrace those negative feelings can actually help improve emotional well-being over time.
Getting more comfortable with your emotions, even the ones that don’t feel great, can help you navigate the challenges of life more successfully while also improving your relationship with yourself and anyone else you care about.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
- Crystal Raypole
Step 1. Use crisis survival skills to bring down your arousal: (See Distress Tolerance Handouts 6–9a.) • TIP your body chemistry. • DISTRACT yourself from the emotional events. • SELF- SOOTHE through the five senses. • IMPROVE the moment you are in. Step 2. Return to mindfulness of current emotions.
Oct 4, 2023 · A person represses their emotions without thinking about it or realizing they are doing it. Suppression, by contrast, is a conscious process. A person is aware that they are avoiding and ignoring ...
Jan 18, 2023 · This is called Emotional repression or suppression – that is, learning to keep our emotions internal. Healthy emotional repression helps us cope with a broad range of events we face, e.g. not shouting when angry, not crying when in a public or unsafe environment. However, too much repression has damaging consequences on our mental and ...
People also ask
What causes emotional repression?
What are repressed emotions?
How does emotional repression relate to childhood experiences?
Are repressed emotions a good short-term solution?
Why do people feel repression?
What is the difference between repressing and suppressing emotions?
Oct 20, 2021 · To better deal with emotions, and prevent repressing them, try the following exercises. 1. Notice and name your emotions. When you notice a change in how you feel, you can use these moments to pause and name the emotion that has been triggered. Imagine you are on a balcony observing cars come and go.
