Suppressing emotions: what happens when we keep everything inside

Psychologists explain why the habit of holding back feelings can be exhausting, affect relationships, and impact well-being. The article distinguishes between emotional regulation and suppression, describes the consequences of suppression for the mind and body, and offers steps toward better understanding one's own emotions.

An article on the Kursor website clarifies the difference between healthy emotional regulation and harmful suppression of feelings. Regulation is the conscious management of one's response to an emotion (for example, deciding not to raise one's voice in anger, but acknowledging the anger itself). Suppression is an attempt to prevent the experience itself, convincing oneself that 'everything is fine.' The author, Tali Malkina, citing Real Simple magazine, describes the consequences of chronic suppression: emotional exhaustion, difficulty recognizing one's own feelings, indirect manifestations such as irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, as well as a dulling of positive emotions. Physical symptoms include muscle tension, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues. The article offers practical steps: specifically naming emotions, allowing them to be without immediately trying to get rid of them, and understanding them as signals about needs (for example, anger may indicate a boundary violation). It emphasizes that emotional maturity is not the absence of strong feelings, but the ability to notice them and choose a response.