Emotional numbness is something many women will experience at some point in her life. Quite often, the feeling is temporary. However, for some, feeling emotionally numb becomes a way of life to protect from further pain. Not only do emotions provide automatic feedback that can help keep you safe, but they can also motivate you to take action and empower you to make decisions.
When you’re overwhelmed or feeling helpless, many turn to emotional numbing since it provides you with a protective defense. While this may provide temporary relief, learning to cope with difficult feelings this way can have long-lasting consequences.
While emotional numbing blocks or shuts down negative feelings and experiences, it also shuts down the ability to experience pleasure, engage in positive interactions and social activities, and interferes with openness for intimacy, social interests, and problem-solving skills.
Ultimately, it becomes a coping tool defined by avoidance, denial, detachment, and dismissal that blocks capacity for confronting, processing, problem-solving, and managing of emotions and experiences.
The symptoms of emotional numbing include:
- A loss of interest in important, once positive activities you used to enjoy
- Feeling distant or detached from others
- Feeling flat, both physically and emotionally
- Losing access to your feelings
- An inability to fully participate in life
- Having difficulty with experiencing positive feelings such as happiness or love.
When you’re emotionally numb, isolation can be a preferred state of living.
Emotional numbing can happen as a result of physical or emotional pain. To protect yourself from being hurt again, it’s not uncommon to disconnect, detach, or numb out feelings related to the situation.
When this happens, you may feel temporary relief that allows you to move on with your life, but over time, this protective shield can begin to get in the way of connecting with others and getting in touch with feelings that are both positive and negative.
How a woman experiences emotional numbness may look completely different from how you present with symptoms. That’s because people experience feeling emotionally numb in many different ways. For example, you may struggle to connect with others or lose the ability to feel sadness or joy in response to certain events.
There are a variety of reasons you may experience emotional numbing. Some of the more common causes of emotional numbing include:
Overwhelming Stress
Depression
Mental or Emotional Abuse
When you are overwhelmed or feeling helpless, it's not uncommon to turn to emotional numbing since it provides you with a protective defense. While this may provide temporary relief, learning to cope with difficult feelings this way can have long-lasting consequences.
From verywellmind, written by Sara Lindberg and edited by Me.
I am emotionally numb, and have been for some time.
Emotional numbing can happen as a result of physical or emotional pain. To protect yourself from being hurt again, it’s not uncommon to disconnect, detach, or numb out feelings related to the situation.
When this happens, you may feel temporary relief that allows you to move on with your life, but over time, this protective shield can begin to get in the way of connecting with others and getting in touch with feelings that are both positive and negative.
How a woman experiences emotional numbness may look completely different from how you present with symptoms. That’s because people experience feeling emotionally numb in many different ways. For example, you may struggle to connect with others or lose the ability to feel sadness or joy in response to certain events.
There are a variety of reasons you may experience emotional numbing. Some of the more common causes of emotional numbing include:
Overwhelming Stress
Depression
Mental or Emotional Abuse
When you are overwhelmed or feeling helpless, it's not uncommon to turn to emotional numbing since it provides you with a protective defense. While this may provide temporary relief, learning to cope with difficult feelings this way can have long-lasting consequences.
From verywellmind, written by Sara Lindberg and edited by Me.
I am emotionally numb, and have been for some time.
