[onionknight]

How honest and open are you with yourself about how you are feeling? Do you feel like you distort your emotions a lot or just ignore certain things all together?

I ask this because today I had this epiphany where I felt like I just gloss oever my own emotions, which really hinders my ability to connect with others. How does one face up to one's pains and learn to live with the sting?

I felt like a man at my job made me better aware of myself with the way I have been going. He works at my job and I don't see him that much. He is a nice guy. He told me, "my goodness you seemed very stressed out. Are you OK?"

I felt like I didn't realize that I was coming on like that. Yes I was stressed, but I thought I hid it pretty well. I guess I didn't hide it so well. Things have been nutty lately at my job which is out of the ordinary. I love my job, but lately, there's little bit of extra stuff I have to do that's difficult for me to deal with. I hope it eases up.

I felt bad about myself when that man brought it to my attention. He meant well. He was giving all kinds of quotes to cope. I couldn't understand him because he's from England. English from there is different than American english.

[Rohag]

Originally Posted by onionknight

I felt like I just gloss over my own emotions...

That is possible. It is also possible your mind buries your emotions because they are too painful or frightening, thus making your emotions much harder to feel.

I believe I'm sitting on top of painful things, but my mind is "auto-defending" me.

???

[onionknight]

I'm emotionally avoidant as a defence mechaniam, which is annoying because I can't ever address anything directly--not even in therapy.

with me, i know how i'm feeling, and sometimes i really hate it.

with me.. i'm honest about them, and i know howi feel about them- but with other people, i don't really talk about them... i've had horrible experiences with stigma, so that is why.

[GreyThinker]

I know what I'm feeling and I know why I am feeling that way. I know when I am being irrational and when my feelings are exaggerated. But it is a remote knowledge. I can hide from them or pretend they are not there, but I don't really fool myself.

[tigerlily84]

I am also emotionally avoidant. I think because I would rather feel nothing than to feel pain. I've been doing it since childhood. To this day I have difficulty putting names to my emotions because I bury them so deeply.