Depleting you of your emotional energy, it can leave you feeling like you have nothing left to give, with sleep often being the only respite. While you'd think it might be nice to have a mental holiday from some of the harder emotions, they are an essential part of human existence. To understand and experience true happiness, we need to have been hurt deeply by a loved one, or profoundly saddened at the loss of something or someone we see as vital. Then there's the loneliness.
Without your normal range of emotions, it becomes increasingly difficult to engage. A withdrawal process is fostered, resulting in a viscous cycle where you don't engage because you're withdrawn, and you're withdrawn because you don't engage. Connections with everyone from colleagues and loved ones can be significantly impacted, putting jobs and personal relationships on the line.
Not being able to remember the last time you took a shower, or perhaps hitting a mind-blank when a recent event is mentioned, depression really does feel like a deadweight on your brain…so you may feel like you're losing it, but you're not! The 'mental fog' of depression makes focusing a challenge. Once easy-to-tackle tasks become arduous, be it writing a basic work email, having that shower, or pouring milk on your cereal.
A recent pay rise for instance will be outshone by something like a relationship breakup from six months back. When you experience a stressful situation, your body can start releasing stress hormones.
These hormones can affect your limbic system which is the control centre for your emotions and they can also interact with other hormones. Both of these processes can lead to feelings of emotional numbness. Feeling numb may protect you from unpleasant emotions. But, there are a whole range of positives you miss out on too — happiness, excitement, joy and contentment.
Feeling a whole range of emotions, in balance, is a natural part of being human. And in fact, we need both positive and negative emotions to grow as people. In the meantime, there are a number of things you can try, including making changes to your lifestyle and behaviours. Your GP can assess you, as well as prescribe medications if necessary. They can provide you a mental health care plan , and this means Medicare may help pay for up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional.
Your GP might refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist for further treatment and therapy. Frank Breuer Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist.
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I am most experienced in … View Profile. Dr Pek Ang Psychiatrist. Management of Psychological problems associated … View Profile. I agree with the posts. It is likely that your symptoms can be helped. Sharon Devine Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist. I have a strong interest in treating grief, family of origin issues, workplace bullying, addictions, and life dissatisfaction. I am also open to discussing any … View Profile. Best wishes on your future journey. He currently holds several appointments at Monash Health where he provides … View Profile.
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Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Emotional numbness, also known as emotional numbing, is something most people will experience at some point in their life. Quite often, the feeling is temporary. However, for some, feeling emotionally numb becomes a way of life to protect from further emotional or physical pain. Emotions are a critical part of how we function in life.
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. While this may provide temporary relief, learning to cope with difficult feelings this way can have long-lasting consequences. If you find yourself thinking, "I feel numb," it may be a sign of an emotional or mental health condition. You might have trouble identifying your own emotions and may struggle to join in or interact with other people.
Often, emotional numbness results in temporary restrictions in the capacity to feel or express emotions. Ultimately, it becomes a coping tool defined by avoidance, denial, detachment, and dismissal that blocks capacity for confronting, processing, problem-solving, and managing emotions and experiences. The symptoms of emotional numbness include:. Emotional numbness can happen as a result of physical or emotional pain. When this happens, you may feel temporary relief that allows you to move on with your life.
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