[pinkpony]

what can a person do if they cant recognize what theyre feeling? ..for example most of the time when im upset or sad or stressed or overwhelmed i feel absolutely NOTHING. i feel empty. and so my response (in that moment) is non-existent. usually, a while later i act out whatever im feeling in very unhealthy ways (bingeing, cutting, and other stuff), but even then i dont realize its in response to some stressor. ive only realized it recently in therapy, but unraveling even ONE episode of unhealthy behaviour takes HOURS. i know the first step towards stopping such behaviour is recognizing when ur feeling low/stressed...but what if u cant recognize those emotions? like at all? has anyone else experienced this? had any success in dealing with it? ..any input would be appreciated. thanks!

[madisgram]

hi pink pony, i can relate to your symptoms...i think it can be caused by the brain blocking an overwhelming emotion. like the brain protects us sometimes so we don't go on overload.
perhaps a good way to approach this is dealing with those things that bother you in therapy which is a safe place to allow those thoughts to surface and to learn a coping skill for them. this may help you avoid a delayed reaction that is self defeating.
i'd definitely bring this up in therapy so the 2 of you an sort these behaviors out. usually we have triggers that spark this. knowing our triggers and ways to avoid them helps me.

[pinkpony]

Originally Posted by madisgram

hi pink pony, i can relate to your symptoms...i think it can be caused by the brain blocking an overwhelming emotion. like the brain protects us sometimes so we don't go on overload.
perhaps a good way to approach this is dealing with those things that bother you in therapy which is a safe place to allow those thoughts to surface and to learn a coping skill for them. this may help you avoid a delayed reaction that is self defeating.
i'd definitely bring this up in therapy so the 2 of you an sort these behaviors out. usually we have triggers that spark this. knowing our triggers and ways to avoid them helps me.

Thank you madisgram. I think you're absolutely right in saying that my brain blocks overwhelming emotions. That is what my therapist says too, that my brain blocks things and its a protective mechanism of the mind (even if its maladaptive).

[idget]

Hi PinkPony,

I can relate to feeling nothing when I KNOW I must be feeling SOMETHING somewhere inside. Another trick I pull on myself is to minimize when I do feel something. As in, "oh, I'm only a little sad". Or, "I'm not angry, maybe slightly ticked." Etc, etc.

I am learning, though, it is important for me to draw out my own feelings, then feel them as fully as I can. Otherwise, they linger or morph into another symptom or another affect.

I would encourage you when you think you're feeling nothing to take 5 minutes in as quiet a place you can find, and just sit with yourself. Don't think of anything in particular, but rather just let yourself be, and see if you can identify what you are feeling.

If you can, you may find that just knowing what the feeling(s) is(are) will be a big help. Once identified, you can decide how best to experience and process them. For myself, I don't think it's a good think to let them sit and stew in the unconscious.

Hoping for all the best for you today.

[Elana05]

wow can I relate to this today. thanks for posting. block feelings out (don't even mean to) and then have to deal with the pain later. gotta just keep working on it in therapy where it is more safe.

to you...

[MISERABLE ME]

I really appreciate what you had to say, man I can really relate I don't know what I am feeling most of the time. And by the time I do feel what I am feeling it is like ten fold, what I mean is I feel the emotion or feeling more intensely. For me the bad behaviors ( cutting and drinking) for me it is like it brings me back to reality and it relaxes me I do not understand this at all and it scares me sometimes. I know that these habits are not good for me and that they can be really harmful for me. I know that therapy and trying to talk and learn what I am feeling is going to be a long road and hopefully it will be worth it. Thanks again it really got me thinking.

[FooZe]

Pinkpony, what if we were to say that this...

Originally Posted by pinkpony

...for example most of the time when im upset or sad or stressed or overwhelmed... i feel empty.

...is a feeling whereas this......

and so my response (in that moment) is non-existent.

...is a thought, and this...

usually, a while later i act out whatever im feeling in very unhealthy ways (bingeing, cutting, and other stuff)

...is a behavior? Would that make sense to you?

Becoming aware of your experience means, first of all, starting from exactly where you are. If you notice yourself having a thought, an attitude or a behavior but you disregard them because you think you're supposed to experience a feeling instead, that's going to make it harder, not easier, to get in touch with yourself. It's the same if you notice yourself having one feeling but you disregard it because you think it would be better (whatever that means) to have some other kind of feeling right then.

"Knowing" how you're feeling is all about being where you are, not where you're supposed to be.

[miray]

Pink

I know exactly how you feel. The only time I have any real emotions is when it comes to my kids. When they are hurt, scared, sad, mad, or anything else....it's very hard for me not to show emotion. Anything other than that...I just don't care all that much. I think it's a coping mechanism...just like you said. I isolate myself...and binge. Those are my ways of dealing with things...and it is causing more problems for me. I am very glad you are taking the steps to help yourself with this!! Unfortunately I can't really give advice or knowledge on how it will go from here. What I can tell you is you definitely aren't alone. Keep us posted on how things are going for you. Thank you so much for this thread!

[spellcaster3x3]

Originally Posted by pinkpony

what can a person do if they cant recognize what theyre feeling? ..for example most of the time when im upset or sad or stressed or overwhelmed i feel absolutely NOTHING. i feel empty. and so my response (in that moment) is non-existent. usually, a while later i act out whatever im feeling in very unhealthy ways (bingeing, cutting, and other stuff), but even then i dont realize its in response to some stressor. ive only realized it recently in therapy, but unraveling even ONE episode of unhealthy behaviour takes HOURS. i know the first step towards stopping such behaviour is recognizing when ur feeling low/stressed...but what if u cant recognize those emotions? like at all? has anyone else experienced this? had any success in dealing with it? ..any input would be appreciated. thanks!

the best thing I can tell you is read up on material on what your problems are ,that should give you some insight on how to handle the problem at hand. maybe find a therapist that you can talk to whom unstands you,an that you feel you can be open with. if you have a close friend that you can tell how you feel too,an can trust not to tell others what you said. to be honest,as far as I know from all the therapy I have had ,some of it works but other times I'm not sure.mental health problems seem to be the hardest to cure no matter what medicadation they put you on. then it might not be the right one so you try another ,untill you find the right one.I have be dealing with problems such as did,add,bdp an if that was not enought...I have something called{klineflelters sydrome}. theres no cure for it ,nor medication to treat it either. dealing with it has put me in alot of hospitals ,yet no doctor really knows how to treat it.I know more than the doctors but I still suffer with it ,and don't see any hope at all.wish you all the luck,I'll talk to you if you would like.