12+ Signs Of Emotional Constipation

By Sophie 12 months ago

1. What Is Emotional Constipation?

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Emotional constipation is when your feelings become so suppressed that you feel suffocated by them. You struggle to process emotions and so they get stuck, choking you up with inaccessible sensitivities. Stress is the biggest giveaway for emotional constipation, as you're so pent up with emotion that your body doesn't know what to do with it. Your energy levels will be higher than your output so try and find ways of releasing it in a constructive way.

2. Emotional Outbursts

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If you're not processing your emotions in a constructive way then it's likely you will be prone to emotional outbursts. These could be triggered by the slightest thing and you may be left feeling confused about where it came from. It requires you getting to the root of your feelings to relieve the stress which you're under.

3. Anxiety

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If your nervous system is confused about what it's feeling, then it may be that you'll start to feel anxious. You might not even know what you feel anxious about but that's okay, there doesn't have to be anything in particular. Don't beat yourself up trying to work out why you're anxious, instead try some meditation to see if that'll bring your emotions to the surface.

4. Headaches

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With all the stress that your body is under, it's likely that you'll experience headaches alongside emotional constipation. When feelings get stuck they can put your brain into overdrive, which is likely to cause some pain. Have a bath, go for a walk, do some exercise, anything to give yourself a bit of movement and relaxation.

5. Tremors

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When there is energy in the body that isn't used up, it tries its hardest to find some sort of outlet. One of the easiest ways for your body to do this is to cause some mild tremors. It's always best to get this checked out by a doctor, but it can be a symptom of emotional constipation.

6. Heart Palpitations

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Anxiety can cause your heart to race or to beat erratically, and when you're emotionally constipated this can be worse. Again, always get any issues with your heart seen to, but just know that not letting out your feelings can cause more irregular heartbeats which can be quite worrying.

7. Overreactions

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Emotional constipation cause you to always feel on the edge of you seat, just waiting for some sort of release that just won't come. It is because of this that you may find yourself reacting to things in a manner in which you wouldn't usually, and you may have some making up to do!

8. Physical Pressure

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If your feelings aren't let out then they will bubble under the surface until they are. You will probably feel this in the form of pressure, quite often behind the eyes. It's as though your eyes are willing you to cry by making them feel super uncomfortable; they'll feel relieved when you do!

9. Binging

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Quite often people will binge eat if they're struggling to really feel their feelings. It's reactionary, and allows people to really feel something, or to feel totally numb. You may feel out of control if you participate in this behavior, as it is somewhat of an outlet, and not the healthy kind.

10. Undereating

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Undereating may also be a behavior brought out by emotional constipation, as the feeling of being under pressure may hinder appetite. When the appetite is suppressed then emotions become even more confused as your body simply doesn't have the energy to release emotion in a healthy way.

11. Anger

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Not being in touch with your feelings is a sure fire way to feeling angry at the world. It seems to be the easiest emotion to feel despite it being so uncomfortable. There may be many more emotions at play but not being able to feel and release them can cause a person to become very angry indeed.

12. Silence

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Emotional constipation may cause the individual to shut down and become silent. They may be confused about what they want to say, or stutter and become unable to find any words at all. A good idea here would be to try out some freewriting, where you put pen to paper and don't stop!

13. Impulsive

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Emotional constipation may cause a person to be impulsive, partaking in risky behavior that they wouldn't otherwise do. It's erratic in that they just want to feel something where they're struggling to feel anything concrete. It can be quite frightening which is why it is always best to try and process feelings healthily.

14. Depression

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Suppressing feelings can lead to everything shutting down, which in turn is likely to cause feelings of depression. Depression can occur when feelings become so stuck that the body's natural survival response is to put them all aside and instead offer very little energy, which lessens the feelings of danger.

15. Frustration

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Having feelings that you don't understand and you have no idea how to access them, can feel extremely frustrating as they are just there. They won't go away if you try to ignore them, and how to approach them may feel impossible. This will probably lead you to become frustrated at near enough everything else!

16. Isolation

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Those who are emotionally constipated may find themselves isolating as they don't know how to be 'good company'. They may also fear being around other people as they don't know how they will be perceived; they don't even know how to perceive themselves.

17. Unusual Behavior

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In their quest to connect with their feelings, emotionally constipated people may act a bit strangely. They might do or say things they wouldn't usually do or say, just as they are trying to understand themselves. They may be so desperate that they do things just so they will cry!

18. Sleep Issues

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If someone's brain is going a million miles an hour, trying to work out why they feel a certain way and where that feeling is, will probably find themselves having sleepless nights. It's usually when you're alone in the dark that your brain switches on, which isn't great for energy levels. It's a vicious circle.

19. Substance Misuse

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Those feeling emotionally constipated may misuse drugs or alcohol, as they act as an outlet for frustrated feelings. The substances will either make the person feel numb, or it'll allow them to let out all of the feelings that have pent up. Either way, it isn't a healthy coping mechanism.

20. Tight Muscles

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With all the tension that emotional constipation causes, muscles are likely to feel tight and exhausted as the feelings become stuck everywhere in the body. There are ways to relieve muscle tension but if the feelings aren't released also, then you're likely to keep feeling these symptoms.

21. Blurred Vision

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Try not to get too worried if you experience this symptom as many things can build up to make your vision blurry. Not feeling emotions properly causes all sorts of symptoms which can ultimately lead to altered sight, however we would suggest that you make an appointment with the doctor to rule anything else out.

22. Aggression

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Even if you're not an aggressive person normally, emotional constipation can make you so. It might lead you to take out your frustration on other people and shouting may make you feel better momentarily. Even so, we hope you address this issue before it builds up to full blown aggression.

23. Panic Attacks

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When your emotions build up too much in your body and you haven't had chance to process them, you're likely to experience panic attacks. This happens like a kettle boiling. Your feelings are the little bubbles coming to the surface and all of a sudden they boil over until you can no longer control them. Try to catch the emotions when they're just little bubbles.

24. Tension In Your Jaw

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You may find that your jaw starts to ache if you're feeling emotional constipation, and that's because, as yogis say, you carry a lot of your feelings within your jaw. If your feelings aren't positive, then it's likely to have an adverse effect and cause you to clench. Try to be aware of your jawline and relax it throughout the day.

25. Feeling Numb

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Your body is very clever in that its main priority is survival. It'll do all sorts of wonderful things to keep you ticking over, and making you feel nothing is one of them. When you have lots of trapped emotions then sometimes, rather than feeling them bursting over all at once, your body will go into closedown and cause you to feel nothing.

26. Actual Constipation

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As your body is trying its best to process emotion, your systems are likely to slow down so that you experience symptoms of constipation. Your gut will not be working at its best so you won't be able to digest food and let go of waste efficiently. It's worth looking at your feelings as well as your diet when you just can't go.

27. Restlessness

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Feelings of restlessness can occur all over the body and mind, and can occur when you haven't processed you emotions properly. You may find that you can't sit still and struggle to relax even when you're in bed. Exercise is a great way to relieve restlessness, and it may help with getting your feelings to the surface.

28. Oversleeping

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Emotional constipation can cause people to oversleep, as the excessive thinking, feeling, and trying to process will make you utterly exhausted. It's a nice break away from the merry go round but it won't make you feel good. In fact, you may even feel less restful than you did before you went to sleep.

29. Crackly Voice

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How you're feeling can often be revealed by how you talk. You can tell if someone is upset by the sound of their voice, likewise if they are happy. If you have pent up emotions then your voice may not know which way to turn and come out uncertainly. Deep breaths will help you to gain composure if you can't access your feelings yet.

30. Excessive Sweating

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As your emotions don't know which way is up, the rest of your body may become a bit confused as well. You may find yourself sweating even on a cold day, as your body senses danger by the uncertainty of your feelings. This may also be caused by feeling nervous which is another symptom of emotional constipation.