Repressed emotions are emotions which we subconsciously try to avoid unknowingly.  They are often connected to difficult or upsetting experiences in our past such as during our childhood (whether we consciously remember the incident or not).  Adults with repressed emotions often feel out of touch or disconnected from their real feelings because they may have had a difficult childhood whereby they were shamed or punished for expressing their emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, frustration or disappointment.

Click Psych2Go video on Signs of Repressed Emotions

Repressed emotions present as a range of psychological symptoms or behaviour such as;

• feeling irritated or annoyed when people ask how you feel
• having a lot of friends but only having few close or meaningful relationships
• feeling ‘just fine’ even though you are upset or struggling because you don’t want to show it
• rarely getting emotional like crying or angry
• having extreme mood swings such as lashing out or over reacting over a minor situation
• denial of your true feelings
• difficulty letting go or forgiving others
• relying on binge watching TV, playing video games over long period or oversleeping
• needing to feel in control of every situation
• over critical of yourself or others

They can also present with physical symptoms such as;

• muscle tension or back pain
• nausea or appetite changes
• fatigue or sleep problems
• anxiety, stress or depression
• hypertension
• heart issues

Repressed emotions need to be addressed because it can affect your personal as well as work life by affecting your ability to;  

• talk about things that matter to you with your colleagues or family
• have intimate relationships with your spouse or children
• encourage or praise yourself or your work colleagues
• be happy or proud of yourself

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Disclaimer. TELEME blog posts contains general information about health conditions and treatments. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. 

If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.