Emotional repression

Growing up, any emotion but anger was a sign of weakness. My mom was emotionally open and honest, but my dad was suppressed and closed off. I would only express my emotions when I was alone and I would close myself off to anyone else. Turns out, emotional suppression is actually unhealthy. While my body could tolerate it as a kid and young adult, as I got older I started experiencing the physical symptoms of stress and emotional repression like migraines and severe muscle pain in my neck and upper back. I finally began working through this in weekly therapy sessions with a psychologist, but if I had addressed this when I was younger, maybe I could have avoided all that pain in my adult years. I wish I could have used a platform like MyCuraJOY to talk to someone about my emotions and learn how to express them.

Caitlyn Wang Avatar

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Touched by what you read? Join the conversation!

  • Yes, When
    Yes, When

    If your child struggles when you tell them “no”, try saying “yes, when” instead. For example, your kid might ask for junk food or more time on Minecraft. Instead of saying “no,” which triggers immediate negative behavior and a stressful power struggle, tell them when they can fulfill their request. “Yes, you can have more…

    Read more >> about Yes, When

  • 7 Ways to Boost Emotional Well-being
    7 Ways to Boost Emotional Well-being

    This article was written by Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. and originally posted at Psychology Today. Boosting emotional well-being is not about stopping or avoiding emotions. Emotions are a normal and necessary part of life. Emotional well-being comes from enhancing emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and emotional recovery. That means increasing emotional well-being is entirely possible. Here are some ways to…

    Read more >> about 7 Ways to Boost Emotional Well-being

  • Why Asian Americans Don’t Seek Help for Mental Illness
    Why Asian Americans Don’t Seek Help for Mental Illness

    This article was originally written and posted by McLean Hospital. Mental health stigma affects all ethnicities, cultures, and nationalities, but Asian Americans may be more impacted than most. The National Latino and Asian American Study reported that while 18% of the general U.S. population sought mental health services and resources, only 8.6% of Asian Americans did so.…

    Read more >> about Why Asian Americans Don’t Seek Help for Mental Illness