Have you ever felt an overwhelming amount of emotions, yet have been unable to express any or some of them candidly? This especially happens when you’re feeling sad, angry, or resentful about something and someone. The negative feelings keep you up at night and make it difficult for you to function normally, and yet, you can’t find it in you to share what you’re feeling. Instead, you try to swallow the bitterness and channel what’s known as the Ostrich Effect.

What’s holding you back from being open and honest about your feelings? This blog shares a few common issues people face with regard to this.

Vulnerability Scares You

Let’s be honest; emotional vulnerability can be a pretty scary thing. The very idea of putting yourself out there by disclosing the depths of your feelings is, after all, rather intimidating.

The fear of vulnerability is even greater among individuals who have been hurt in the past by opening up to others. To avoid experiencing the pain and hurt similar to what they faced earlier, they closet their feelings instead of expressing them. As a result, they have trouble sharing their emotions even with their loved ones and keep them bottled up.

You Mistrust Your Own Feelings

Another reason why you’re unable to express your emotions is that you’re not sure what it is that you’re feeling in the first place. A lot of times, our emotions our influenced by our particular thought process and knee-jerk reactions. This can make it difficult for us to identify what exactly we’re feeling, and why.

For instance, you may feel hurt about a friend’s behavior without being able to explain why. Did their behavior cause you to feel sad or ashamed? Did you feel disrespected or rejected by their actions? Are your feelings regarding their behavior different from what you felt about it two days—or even two hours—ago? The more you clarify your emotions and be precise, the better you’ll be able to express how you’re feeling.

You’re Afraid of Conflict

One of the biggest reasons people avoid expressing how they’re really feeling is because they want to avoid conflict. You may be incredibly upset at what a friend said and be angry at the way they behaved, but in order to avoid getting into an argument with them, you choose not to share your feelings.

The fear of disapproval and rejection from their end makes you refrain from engaging in confrontations, and you end up repressing your angry feelings instead of expressing them. Thus, you’re unable to communicate your feelings across, even if they’re bothering you immensely.

Do you have a phobia of expressing feelings? Rekha Shrivastava at Blossom Hypnosis can help you overcome this challenge through subconscious mind therapy and hypnosis. She also offers Skype sessions to clients not residing in Rochester, NY.

Get in touch with her now!