10 Ways to overcome Emotional Numbness by Yourself

Do you feel empty? Do your favorite activities lack their usual spark? If yes, you may be experiencing emotional numbness. When you lose the ability to experience or express your emotions, you are said to be emotionally numb. This state of mind can affect every element of your life, even if you aren’t aware of it.

Numbness can grow and worsen over time. So, here are signs that you are emotionally Numb. If you identify strongly with anything on the list. Don’t push those feelings away. Emotional numbness can be a precursor to depression, therefore it’s critical to catch it early. Face your negativity and seek assistance.

Signs that You are Emotionally Numb

These are the signs of Emotional numbness. If you feel these signs, do not ignore them and ask for help from your family, friends, or experts.

1. You’ve lost interest:

Have you lost interest in your daily life? For most people, Emotional Numbness begins here. They stop caring about their job. They stop caring about their health and become dissatisfied with their lifelong pursuits. A rapid lack of interest, according to a 2013 study by Winer and colleagues, is a major predictor of emotional numbness.

2. You can’t feel pleasure:

Do you force yourself to have fun? 

Anhedonia is the inability to feel pleasure, according to a 2019 study by Winer and colleagues. Anhedonia can impact any aspect of your life, from your go-to restaurants to your favorite tv show. These activities may have previously made you feel motivated, but they now seem meaningless. Anhedonia is an issue in and of itself, but it’s also a sign of depression. If your favorite moments in life aren’t quite as enjoyable as they once were, you may be dealing with a deeper issue.

3. Food doesn’t taste as good:

Have you seen that food has lost its taste? Emotional Numbness is a symptom of this odd experience. The same 2019 study highlights how numbness can affect both emotional and physical pleasures like eating. 

There are few pleasures that can compare to a truly delectable dinner, yet emotional numbness can make your food taste like cardboard. It’s time to get treatment if your physical senses are weak or weird.

4. You don’t want anything:

Are you constantly unmotivated? Does every activity feel like a chore? 

Sherdell and colleagues found that anticipation and enjoyment are linked in a 2012 study. When you’re enthusiastic about something, it feels more gratifying. A pleasant attitude and realistic expectations will help you have a good time. When you’re fearing something, those benefits may vanish completely. Because you’re already in a terrible mood, your negativity becomes self-fulfilling.

To put it another way, it’s not enjoyable since you assume the worst.

5. You’re really indecisive:

Do you struggle with the smallest decisions? Are you making fewer decisions than you used to? Confidence empowers you to make sound decisions.

When you’re happy and secure you believe in your own judgment and you feel empowered but emotional numbness shatters your confidence. You convince yourself that there is no right answer, that every option leads you to the wrong path. Your emotions sink deeper and lower as your indecision deepens. So don’t let your indecisions fly under the radar.

6. You feel guilty all the time:

Do you feel guilty about everything? Do you feel guilty for being lazy? Do you feel bad about squandering so much time in bed? Do you feel guilty for feeling guilty? 

Another common symptom of emotional numbness is this. When you’re dealing with grown-up emotions, it can feel like you’re doing everything wrong. A small amount of negativity can easily turn into a mountain of embarrassment. You can be emotionally numb if you’re plagued by unending guilt.

7. You avoid your loved ones:

Have you been avoiding your family and friends? 

Normally, spending time with someone you care about is exciting, but it’s starting to sound like a nightmare if you’re canceling plans left and right.

When you don’t express yourself, your friendships may suffer as a result of emotional numbness. If you’re able to relate to this, which trusted family members or friends do you plan to reach out to express how you feel? 

8. You feel attacked

Do you have the impression that no one is on your side? Do you feel as though you’re being judged or attacked everywhere you go?

Emotional confidence can destroy your confidence, when you have no confidence it feels like everyone is out to get you in these difficult moments. 

Read More, How to Deal with Expectations vs Reality Gap?

Remember that you are not alone and you do have people in your corner even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Causes of Emotional Numbness:

1. You’ve lost sight of yourself:

Have you forgotten your goals, passions, and values that make you who you are, you may have lost touch with your inner world and may even like the person you’ve become, losing sight of who you are and where you want to go can leave you spinning out of control. You could be having trouble processing so many emotions like loneliness, frustration, and despair all at once that you end up feeling nothing at all. 

2. You’re struggling with mental illness:

Emotional numbness is one of the symptoms of mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorders, dissociative disorders, and trauma-related disorders. For example, if you are suffering from a dissociative disorder you may often have an out-of-body experience feeling like you’re not in control with your speech and movements, you feel numb to your senses, and are emotionally disconnected from the people around you.

3. You’ve been through something traumatic:

When you’ve experienced trauma it is common for you to feel emotionally numb. It’s a way to cope with feelings of hopelessness, shock, confusion, and anxiety. Well it may seem like a good way to protect yourself, you may get some emotional relief, but it’s not a healthy or effective way to deal with psychological damage trauma can bring.

4. You’re recovering from abuse:

Were you ever abused by your friends, family, or partner? Whether it’s physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, or psychological abuse, any type of abuse can be very damaging to a person’s mental health. According to a study by Jackson and Harding, abuse can negatively impact your understanding to regulate and understand your emotions as well so feeling emotionally numb could be a way of coping with the stress of being a victim of abuse.

5. You’re grieving an important loss:

Have you just lost a loved one? Are you grieving the loss of a relationship? 

Feeling emotionally numb is part of the grieving process. Denial is the very first stage of grief and an important step towards acceptance. You may need time to come to terms with what you have lost and may not be ready to deal with all the negative emotions that come with it.

6. You’re stressed out all the time:

Are you always overwhelmed and stressed out by work or school?

Experiencing high levels of stress all the time can lead to emotional burnout which is a negative mental state associated with chronic fatigue. Problems with thinking and concentrating and a loss of interest and motivation. Constant levels of stress can bring you to the verge of a psychological breakdown and can make you emotionally numb to everything.

7. You’re on too much medication:

Another reason for emotional numbness is if you take antidepressants and other kinds of medications, the drugs that impact your central nervous system. Emotional blunting and feelings of apathy are common side effects, some people even report feeling unlike themselves when they are on medications that they stopped taking it but it’s important that you talk to your doctor first as they may adjust your dose first or change your medications to better suit your need.

8. Avoiding emotions:

If you are avoiding your feelings — whether by acknowledging or feeling them — you may be suffering numbness. This could be related to any of the aforementioned factors, or it could simply be how your brain deals with stress

How to overcome emotional numbness?

If you feel the above signs of emotions then you need help. Trust your family, friends, and psychologist and try to ask for help. I know this is very tough but you have to do this for your life and health. The psychiatrist can help you with medication and exercise. They can also guide you by treating you as per your conditions.

If you yourself want to overcome emotional numbness, then this process becomes easy. The willing power plays a very important role in this. You can also follow some ways and treat your emotional numbness at home but you have to be very punctual and strong. By following the below steps you can treat your emotional numbness at home but we suggest you take the therapist’s help along with these ways for better and fast results.

1. Get enough sleep.

Getting at least eight hours of good quality sleep each night might help you swiftly boost your mood.

2. Seek out professional help.

Learn to recognize and express feelings. It can be tough to detect or process distinct emotions if you’ve been emotionally numb for a long period. This is something that a therapist can assist you with. Make an appointment with a local specialist who can assist you in accessing your emotions.

3. Stress management.

Emotional numbness is caused by daily challenges as well as severe stress. The key to treating the avoidance of emotions and sentiments is to better manage stress.

4. Eat healthy and take proper Diet.

Eating a diet rich in plants and whole foods is another excellent method to nourish your body. These nutrients can aid in hormone regulation and mood stabilization throughout the day.

5. Exercise Daily.

It’s difficult to motivate yourself to get up and move at the gym or go for a run when you’re feeling empty within. But exercise can help get you out of a slump and literally make your brain feel better. Try to establish a regular workout routine to keep you physically and mentally alert.

You can follow the best yoga channels on Youtube to learn yoga for free.

6. Know it’s not your fault.

It is important to know it’s not your fault. Throughout our lives, we have all been taught not to feel those sad negative emotions. Don’t cry, don’t be upset, we are told to just be happy. Showing your emotions whether negative or happy emotions is necessary. If you block and numb those feelings and emotions, you may lead to emotional numbness.

7. Start taking risks.

You have not been feeling anything for so long that it might feel risky feeling either the more negative emotions or the more positive ones. In order to grow, you need to start taking calculated risks so that you could start feeling all your emotions and understand what they’re trying to tell you. This can help you in acting on them, understanding them, and allowing them to help you live a happier life. 

8. Stop seeing emotions as a dangerous part of your life.

Emotions are there to help you, so instead of seeing emotions as negative scary daunting parts of life, start seeing them as a signpost to a better future. 

9. Manage your expectations.

You have spent a lifetime creating this emotionless life but the thought that all your emotions are going to come back right now isn’t achievable. Do realize that it’s going to take time for you to start understanding your emotions, understand your feelings and you have to start creating an emotional language so that you can understand what they are and what they are trying to help you achieve. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t feel your emotions right away. 

10. Stay safe.

You have been feeling your emotions for so long that you shouldn’t be surprised if not only the happy feelings come up but also the angry negative feelings as well. As you start to connect your feelings make sure you are with people you trust and make sure you’re in a comfortable setting where you are comfortable, safe and secure, and fully accepted.

Read More, Best Ways for Stress management with Best Exercises for Relieving stress

Mental health is very important same as the physical health. Don’t fight with it alone. Do tell your family and best friends about your mental health and do consult a therapist for any mental or emotional problems. Stop using drugs and alcohol to cope with stress.