Emotional Buildup: Symptoms, Causes And How To Manage It
Surely at some point you have felt overwhelmed, exhausted and with the feeling that you couldn’t take it anymore, but you couldn’t find a way to relax and feel better. This is the feeling that emotional accumulation generates.
Given the pace of life we lead, with which we must always be doing things and achieving goals, it is very likely that you do not give yourself time to stop or to know how you are; We often choose to avoid and inhibit our emotions, which will end up accumulating.
This emotional accumulation not only affects the level of emotions, but also harms the mental, more cognitive state of the subject, and their physical well-being. In cases like this the individual feels more tired, slower, has difficulty concentrating and is more likely to get sick.
In this article you will learn better What is meant by emotional accumulation?how it affects us in different areas and how we can prevent it or deal with it so that it does not lead to worse consequences.
It is easy to understand what is meant or what the concept of emotional accumulation refers to, since the term itself expresses quite well what it is, and given the frenetic pace of life that we currently lead, it is very likely that you have felt this sensation or find yourself in this state.
By emotional accumulation we understand a state in which the subject is at the limit of their possibilities and their state of health, both physical and mental. That is to say, the individual is overwhelmed by an accumulation, a set of emotions, that he has not known or been able to express.
We can understand this state as an alarm, a warning that we must stop and rest if we do not want the consequences to be worse.
The typical illustrative example used to better understand the concept is that of a glass full of water that ends up overflowing due to a single drop; That is, the well-known expression of “the straw that breaks the camel’s back”, a small event that causes us to end up exploding because we have already accumulated so much.
Symptoms: How does emotional accumulation affect us?
This state of accumulation or emotional saturation that we have talked about will obviously affect our emotional state; this will change and will be affected making us appear more irritable, more stressed and more anxious.
When we suffer emotional buildup, any situation that falls outside of our plans or bothers us in the slightest upsets us excessively and will cause us to have a disproportionate reaction not related to the situation.
But it not only affects our mood, but also affects our mental state, our most cognitive part, since We will feel mentally exhausted, affecting our mental abilities and functions.. We will have more difficulties with concentration and memory, we will forget things more easily, our mental processes will slow down, we will feel slower with less rhythm; This phenomenon is described as bradypsychia.
It is worth highlighting the impact on the most biological component, our state of physical health, since mental saturation also ends up having an impact on our physical state. We will feel more tired, without the desire to do things, we will feel more tense, with pain in the muscles and joints., with headaches and body aches in general. In this way, the state in which we find ourselves reduces our defenses, our physical strength, making it easier for us to get sick.
Likewise, the set of different affectations and states, both emotional, cognitive and physiological, makes us feel at the limit, that we can’t take it anymore and that we need to stop, although the ability to learn and face our state is not easy and not all. world knows or can do it well.
In relation to the previous paragraph, a sensation that can also appear and may be a sign that we are in a state of emotional accumulation is having the need to stop, needing to disconnect, but not being able tosince we notice that there is something that does not allow us, that does not allow us to relax.
Causes
A concept related to emotional accumulation is that of repressed emotions, phenomenon that arises from the denial of some of our emotions, which end up accumulating. The thoughts, emotions, sensations that we try to repress or avoid do not disappear, and contrary to what we want, they end up increasing and having a greater impact on us than if we had faced them from the beginning.
Everything we feel and think happens and appears in us with some purpose or for some reason; Therefore, it is important that we pay attention to it, since this is the only way to really know how we are; We will be able to know why we act in a certain way or when it is time to stop or make a change in our lives.
How to deal with emotional buildup
Taking into account everything that has been discussed so far, we can stay with some general recommendations: know how to stop, listen to ourselves, pay attention to the alarms that our body and mind give and not deny what we feel or repress our emotions.
It is important that the subject understands that Emotions are not negative, even unpleasant ones can be functionalsince they are giving us information, indicating how we feel, thus allowing us to act to remedy the situation.
We should not rationalize everything, that is, not everything has to have a rational explanation without the influence of emotions, since as we mentioned before, denying ourselves emotions does not make them disappear, this will only cause them to accumulate.
We see then that in order to be able to face correctly and be able to prevent negative consequences of accumulating emotions It is essential to dedicate time to yourself to be able to detect the signals that our own body and our mind give us.. Taking time to relax and face what causes us discomfort or problems serves to avoid possible subsequent reactions that do more seriously damage our lives.
Knowing what worries us, how we feel, and what we think about the things that happen to us is the way to really know our identity and what we are like. It is common that many times we choose to ignore and act as if nothing had happened, as if we could accumulate emotions and sensations indefinitely, but We have a limit and it is very likely that if we do not find a solution to this state we will end up exploding..
Although yes, knowing ourselves and knowing what emotions and thoughts occupy us at the moment is a process that we must do in a functional and appropriate way; We have to avoid staying anchored and constantly ruminating about these thoughts or feelings that worry us, since in this way we will only manage to enter a loop which will not help us unload our emotions either.
It is for this reason that we must find a more adaptive, more functional and healthier method of action, which does not harm us; we have to find ways that little by little we can unload and reduce the emotional accumulation so as not to reach the top, find what our escape routes or mode of action may be that benefits us and works the most for us. In this way, we will see how we improve and as a consequence the different areas of our life such as work, family or social life improve.
What techniques will be the most appropriate to relax and download?
There are various techniques that can be used, and Depending on the characteristics and tastes of each individual, they will work and it will be better to use one or the other..
For example, there are people who will be better off practicing sports like swimming, running or more team sports like playing basketball or soccer, there are others who will find it better to perform relaxation techniques to better connect with themselves; Others will prefer to meet and hang out with their friends or family as a way to disconnect or use art, such as painting or dancing. They are all ways to dedicate time to yourself to enjoy doing what we really like.
Linked to social relationships and spending time with the people we love, It is important to train to maintain good communication, also using social and assertive skills. If we manage to have stable and constant communication, it will be easier for us to express and regulate our emotions better, and for us to feel supported and understood by others, avoiding or reducing the probability of emotional accumulation occurring.
Therefore, to reduce or prevent emotional accumulation we must find the middle ground, a point in which we do not deny our own state or emotions, but in which we do not remain anchored in them either, in a loop and focusing on its causes, symptoms and consequences; This way it will be more functional to distract yourself and take time to gradually release tension.
