How Repressed Emotions Make Us Sick

The most curious and hazardous feature of the way we’re built lies in the difficulty we have registering what we actually feel.

Learn, heal and grow; get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox:

FURTHER READING

“The most curious and hazardous feature of the way we’re built lies in the difficulty we have registering what we actually feel. Our vast and strange minds get filled with thoughts that go unsifted and with feelings we don’t have the courage to look at. We might be angry or sad while lacking any active awareness that we are so. Or guilty or envious without any grasp of what is at play behind a thin psychological curtain. And we remain unconscious - always - because we are resistant to ideas that threaten our sense of calm, our self-image and our gratifying illusions about ourselves. We surely can’t be angry because we’re kind people who couldn’t feel negatively about a beloved elderly relative. Or we can’t be sad at not being invited to the party because we don’t care about trivial, social matters. And it isn’t possible that we are envious because we aren’t people to covet others’ advantages…”

MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE

Watch more films on SELF in our playlist:

SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel free to follow us at the links below:

CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Natalie Ramos

Title animation produced in collaboration with

Graeme Probert

#UnpackYourEmotions #HealFromWithin

[colettelee]

It's not lack of courage--many of us don't know how to access our feelings because it was never safe to, so we have to learn

[chiaracris]

This video should be translated and showed everywhere: at the bus stop, inside a mall, in cinemas before watching a movie. There’s so much unnecessary and unaware pain in the world just because no one has ever taught us the importance of doing inner work.

[SkyeArrow]

Hope the person who needs this video finds it.

[sweetsmimi]

After my dad passed l flew home and had the worst lower back pain. After l went to the chiropractor he barely manipulated it and l had the worst sharp pain ever and l started to sob uncontrollably. He felt so bad he thought he hurt me. After l had that good cry, my back began to heal. I truly believe our emotions are held in different parts of our bodies and my grief at my dad’s passing manifested in my lower back.

[brocanova]

Mum passed away, wife had divorced me, new girlfriend dumped me, boss bossed me - and I never grieved, raged, revolted or fought out of embarrassment. Until depression hit me big time.

[lovealilpolo]

Medical student here- this is so so true. For anyone wondering about it's scientific basis, I recommend you to read gut brain axis in depth.

[Drmrdrm]

“Even if you try to bottle it all up... it all comes out somehow.”
-Basil (omori 2020)🌻

[tnb]

This comment section is so healing. I've been working on the hurt from a lost friendship a decade ago in therapy. People have always questioned why I care and can't just flip a switch and move on. However, I've always felt that a lot of people are dealing with things that they avoid and don't want to talk about and that it shows up in their lives in many other ways.

[srimitamallik]

I feel so unsafe. I have to stay on alert on the time. I am tired. I am getting bitter, pessimistic, unlively, and pretentious all the same time. Tired of popping in painkillers every single day. I wish I could leave everything and go to the mountains or something.

[sazzadhossain]

A few years back, I was really struggling with depression and mental health issues. I was hooked on cigarettes and alcohol, but then my wife suggested I try psilocybin mushroom therapy. Honestly, it saved my life. It's been 11 years since I've been totally clean. Those shrooms are like a miracle.

[AnnaTalks-videos]

This is fascinating. I developed brain inflammation after a period of huge stress where I was suppressing my true feelings about a situation for two years. I partially lost my eyesight and got headaches, and the inflammation spread to both sides of my brain. The body keeps the score.

[IkerUnzu]

that’s why meditating is life changing. i love this video. so so so true. i thought i had stomach problems for years, it hurt every single morning. it wasn’t until i started going to therapy and meditating that it stopped and then i realized it had always been my anxiety, not any problems with food.

[mangantasy]

I grew up in a toxic familiy system. Emotions were never save or really allowed to have, especially not negative ones.
I am so out of touch with them.
I'm struggling with severe debilitating mental health issues and I seriously doubt that I will ever be able to overcame all these scars.
It is so crucial to teach children how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.
Great video.

[dorothyshrewsberry]

I've dealt with abuse and drama and loss all my life by burying it deep down and moving on because I had to be strong for everyone in my life. At 51 I started having full blown anxiety attacks (sweaty palms, people talking sounding like bees far off or in a tunnel, tunnel vision and the desire to just be alone, not around anyone) Once again true to my nature, I view this as a weakness and try to hide this by withdrawing from everyone except work. At 56 I am now having nightmares, insomniac, physical health issues, grinding my teeth in my sleep, even sleep paralysis. All due to never taken care of my issues and shoving them down. It isn't a weakness dealing with your mental issues, I wish someone would have told me this and let me know true weakness is not allowing yourself to heal and get help in the beginning. If anyone is reading this and feels hurt, less than or dealing with loss, get help. You are worth it now and future you is depending on it. Blessings to all.

[-laurentius-]

Always suppressed my emotions, now I’m dealing with lots of somatisations and depression. In life you will pay the price of everything, sooner or later.

[idqlhgr]

A few years back, Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan wrote a book called 'It' s all in your head'. Wise and insightful book about psychosomatic illnesses. Interesting she says that nowadays, food is blamed for our tiredness, bloating etc etc. Even the sanest and most balanced of us suffer with psychosomatic pain but we deny it so much. Fascinates me as to why? It's so human for psychological pain to be felt as physical pain but we don't want to believe it.

[iamhannahmai]

after a big heartbreak, i've been sick and tiresome with severe shoulder pain.
just when i've been pondering how my mental health might be causing adverse effects on my physical health... this pops up😂
guess my shoulder is screaming at me to let go of that avoidant bastard

[ERROR-znbv]

God, its like these mental health channels can read our minds when they upload

[LucasSSP]

"Meegraines" kinda hurt, but it was also funny.

[tagarbakhtawar]

“Our hearts want a chance to say sorry.” I felt this! ❤💔