People attain emotional maturity as they age. But what should we do when we feel emotionally numb? How to overcome emotional numbness effectively? Let’s find out.
Most of you might have heard about the constant rambling of society, which tells us to bottle up our emotions. They tell us to suppress emotions and focus on dealing with them.
It becomes even harder when gender bias comes into play, and all we are left with is misguided judgments, such as boys don’t cry and girls are emotional.
A large part of our lives goes into dealing with our emotions effectively. But nobody teaches us exactly the way to do it. Suppressing emotions is not even good. It just makes situations worse than it already is.
So, what we get in return is emotional numbness. Yes, the ultimate conclusion is just the emotional sensitivity hitting the rock bottom, and we do not feel them anymore.
However, it is not good to live with it. We would fare worse than anyone else if we are emotionally numb concerning our relationships and career prospects. Even trying to feel them doesn’t come in handy.
But, there is nothing that we can’t fix, right? Likewise, there is a solution or multiple solutions to overcome emotional numbness.
So, “What should we do when we feel emotionally numb?”
Well, we solve things after discussing them. Therefore, let’s take a look at it.
You can also watch the video below to know about the 6 simple and effective hacks to stop feeling emotionally numb:
Why do we feel emotionally numb?
“How can we solve a problem without knowing the reasons behind it?”
In other words, before finding out ways to overcome emotional numbness, we have to look for reasons why we feel emotionally numb. There are many people out there who might be unaware of them.
However, the reason we feel emotionally numb is not our ignorance towards emotions. Instead, we watch and hear people do it and try to do the same without thinking twice.
Ironically, so many people try to be emotionally detached, and yet they complain about numbness. I think it is better to be sad and anxious than to feel entirely emotionally numb.
But, “What are the reasons behind such numbness?”
Here are 3 significant reasons why we feel emotionally numb.
1. We feel emotions make us weak:
It is the most common reason for emotional numbness.
Emotions are vital for self-development and provide us with many great insights into human nature. Besides, they also make us accepting and agreeable, which are really good traits when dealing with people.
But, we do not accept our emotions completely as they seem a weakness to us. We are so caught up in the preconceived notions of treating them as irrelevant feelings with no purpose at all.
Therefore, it makes a pretty good reason why we feel emotionally numb.
2. We do not think emotions are rational:
I do not know why people believe emotions to be irrational. Even logical analysis can be irrational when we do not use it for the betterment of the world or humanity.
In the end, emotions are as rational as logic, with the difference that they take into account the feelings, values, principles, and beliefs to make judgments. We should also not forget the relevance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, which we cannot achieve if emotions are irrational.
Hence, this is the second reason why we feel emotionally numb.
3. We just do not want to experience its negative side:
Being emotionally active doesn’t mean positivity, optimism, and hope but also negative traits such as negativity, pessimism, and despair. You can only be emotionally active when you feel both of them.
However, most people do not want to experience these negative traits that come with it. They do not want to face the dark side of the emotional spectrum. Ultimately, it leads to emotional numbness, and the person loses his ability to feel emotions to their fullest.
Therefore, this is the third reason why we feel emotionally numb.
Now, we have discussed the reasons behind emotional numbness.
But, “What should we do when we feel emotionally numb?”
Let’s find out.
What should we do when we feel emotionally numb?
Exactly.
That is the important question we need to answer.
Emotional numbness is not normal, and we shouldn’t take it for granted. For instance, how would you imagine an animal without its instincts? It would be no less than a robot, right? The same goes for humans.
Emotions are a part of our instincts. In fact, most of our reactions are the result of emotional turbulences. Without them, we will always feel numb, empty, and confused in social settings. Hence, it is important to tackle emotional numbness.
So, “What should we do when we feel emotionally numb?”
Well, here are 6 simple and effective hacks to tackle emotional numbness.
1. Try to find out the reason for feeling emotionally numb:
To be honest, feeling emotionally numb has its benefits. You do not experience anything that might disturb your thinking. However, that is only when you are a reserved and introverted person.
Now, not everyone wants to be left out feeling numb all the time. But, to overcome it, you have to find out the reason for this state. You have to find out the source which made you ignorant of emotional reactions.
Hence, to overcome emotional numbness try to find out the reason for feeling emotionally numb.
2. Listen to music more often:
I know this doesn’t seem like a good solution to overcome emotional numbness, but believe me, emotional highs and lows are vital for an individual to gain maturity. That is how we can also raise a child to be emotionally mature.
By listening to rock, pop, jazz, and classical forms of music, you can experience the emotions swirling inside you. These music forms incite many emotional reactions all at once. Besides, they also help you identify with your suppressed emotional side.
Therefore, to overcome emotional numbness listen to music more often and try to feel emotional highs and lows.
3. Make friends with emotionally sensitive individuals:
People have an important role to play in our lives. Even the ones who are emotionally sensitive can teach us a lot about recognizing our emotional side. However, it is up to us how we view them.
Most people just look at the sensitive side of these individuals and dismiss them as crybabies right away. But, if you try to find out the reason behind their sensitivity, you will realize that they are some of the most rational and intelligent people you would have ever met.
So, if you want to overcome emotional numbness make friends with emotionally sensitive individuals.
4. Go out and try to be social:
This may not sound good, but it is an effective way to deal with emotional numbness. Now, if you are an introvert or recluse, then I wouldn’t recommend you to go to clubs and parties and exhaust yourself unwillingly.
However, if you try to be more social than you actually are, and interact with people daily, it makes you energized and excited. You feel the emotional reactions automatically.
Hence, be more social and try to interact with people to overcome emotional numbness.
5. Spend some time in nature:
Nature has the most profound impact on human emotions. Most artists around history, and even in the present age, have been inspired by natural elements to create great masterpieces.
Nature has always been a representation of the multiple emotional reactions that we experience. A good walk amid a forest and rivers incite intense emotions of happiness, satisfaction, and peace.
Therefore, it is better to spend more time in nature to overcome emotional numbness.
6. Lastly, participate more in emotional matters:
To tackle difficulties in anything, one has to overcome them through participation. You can overcome the fear of heights only by going to the highest building in town.
Likewise, it is important to participate more in emotional matters and try to identify how people around you make decisions using emotions. We can only seek the rationality of emotions in emotional matters. You get to see the motivations, perceptions, and decisions of people around you.
Hence, participate more in emotional matters, and look for possibilities on every side of the situation.
Final Words:
To sum up, emotional numbness is not normal. You have to experience emotions to connect with people and society. No one can help you but you.
However, with the above simple and effective hacks, it is now much easier to stop being emotionally numb and give your emotional side a new hope.