Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink.
Today, we are going to learn about 7 signs you are emotionally numb.
Now, let’s begin.
Compounding Guilt Guilt can come from anywhere.
From your career.
Your friends.
Your family.
But, if you’re emotionally numb, the greatest source of your guilt… is usually yourself.
Guilt is the most common sign of emotional numbness.
When you feel empty and disconnected, think about how much your behavior changes.
Your productivity suffers.
Your social skills dwindle, and your confidence steadily declines.
It feels like you’re letting everybody down all the time.
Like the world has expectations you’ll never live up to.
With these expectations looming over your head, you may feel like others are disappointed
in you.
But, above all, you may feel disappointed in yourself.
You want to be productive, social, and confident.
You want to live up to those lofty expectations.
So each time you fail, that feeling of guilt grows stronger and stronger.
Eventually, your guilt becomes so powerful, it builds upon itself.
In other words, you feel guilty for feeling guilty.
Shame creates shame.
Guilt creates guilt.
And suddenly you’re caught in a vicious cycle that numbs your emotions even further.
If your life is plagued by guilt, you may be emotionally numb.
But you’re not doomed to feel this way forever.
Emotional numbness is a strong, overwhelming state of mind.
But, over time, you can escape.
You can unravel the layers of self-criticism and shame that hold you down.
You can overcome your guilt… and feel satisfied just the way you are.
Losing Taste In a 2019 study from the journal of Psychology
Research and Behavior Management, researchers discovered a strange phenomenon.
When struggling with emotional numbness, many people lose their sense of taste.
Your favorite meals become bland and boring.
Sweets and snacks may taste like cardboard.
But does emotional numbness change your sense of taste?
Turns out, emotional numbness doesn’t just affect your emotions.
It also diminishes physical sensations, like eating a tasty meal.
Normally, a delicious dinner fills your brain with feel-good hormones.
Spicy foods can release endorphins.
Yogurts and meats can produce dopamine.
The food you eat has a major impact on the way you feel.
But the way you feel also impacts the food you eat.
Not only does emotional numbness ruin your favorite foods, it also damages your diet.
Many people who struggle with emotional numbness eat very unhealthy diets.
Because their favorite meals just don’t satisfy them like they used to.
Taste isn’t the only sensation dulled by emotional numbness.
Your sense of smell can get weaker.
Colors appear faded and dull.
Sounds may seem quiet or muted.
Even your sense of touch may change.
Let’s say you enjoy getting a massage once a month.
If you’re feeling emotionally numb, you may not enjoy those massages the way you used
to.
Your skin may feel less sensitive.
And you may trouble relaxing.
If you think you’re emotionally numb, keep your emotional and physical sensations in
mind.
Because both of them display important signs of emotional numbness.
Daily Indecisions Decisiveness is a difficult skill to learn.
It’s easy to criticize your choices.
To wonder whether or not you made the right move.
When faced with a difficult decision, many of us panic, scramble, and rush.
You get wrapped up in your own doubts and insecurities.
You may think of yourself as indecisive… but what about all the little decisions you
make every day?
In the morning, you chose what to wear.
While driving, you chose when to turn.
For lunch, you choose what to eat.
You confidently make dozens of small decisions on a daily basis.
But, if you’re emotionally dumb, these tiny choices feel almost impossible.
Indecisiveness is one of the most frustrating parts of emotional numbness.
It seems like there is no right answer.
Around every corner is another obstacle.
Every outfit looks wrong.
Every meal sounds unappetizing.
It becomes harder and harder to make the small decisions that fuel your everyday life.
But why are these small decisions so hard?
Because you lack the confidence to empower your own choices.
You’ve lost faith in your own judgment.
But, just like every other item on this list, indecision is fixable.
You can rebuild your confidence.
And learn to believe in yourself again.
Intentional Isolation Have you been avoiding your friends and family?
Are you isolating yourself from the outside world?
This is a very common sign of emotional numbness.
When feelings of shame and emptiness take over, we impulsively hide from the world.
You may retreat into solitude and isolation.
Because interacting with other people may sound difficult, scary, or just pointless.
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, social interactions are important for your
mental health.
It doesn’t matter if you like big gathering or one-on-one conversations.
It’s very important to interact with others, especially your loved ones.
Not only does it relieve stress, but social interactions give you a break from your own
brain.
Sometimes, your brain is your worst enemy.
You may get trapped in a vortex of toxic thoughts.
And you may not be able to escape your own.
That’s why you need other people.
To help you, support you, and guide you back to a healthy state of mind.
But what happens when you’re emotionally numb?
You may feel imprisoned by those same toxic thoughts.
Shame and guilt drive you deeper into isolation.
It gets worse and worse, until you stop socializing altogether.
Most people don’t realize how isolated they’ve become.
Everyone has different habits and preferences.
Some people enjoy being alone for days on end.
Others need some sort of social interaction on a daily basis.
It all depends on your personality.
To figure out what work best for you, think back to the happiest time in your life.
How often did you see your friends and family?
How much time did you spend socializing?
Treat this happy period like a social baseline.
Compare your life now to your life then.
If there’s a huge difference, you may be isolating yourself… because you may be emotionally
numb.
Total Disconnection Emotional numbness is an all-encompassing
experience, which changes your relationship to your body and your sense of self.
Imagine your body and brain like a house.
When you feel like happy, your house is packed with furniture, paintings, and trinkets that
embody you as individual.
You feel at-home in this space, because your house resembles you.
You recognize yourself inside of it, and that recognition gives you comfort, closeness,
and confidence.
But what happens to your house when you’re emotionally numb?
The furniture starts to fade away.
The paintings disappear off the walls.
Before you know it, you’re staring at an empty house full of empty rooms.
Your house doesn’t feel like home anymore… and you become disconnected.
Emotional numbness creates this unnerving effect for countless people.
As your emptiness grows, you feel more and more disconnected from your identity.
You abandon the passions and hobbies you once loved.
You may barely recognize your own reflection.
If you’re losing track of yourself, physically or mentally, you may be emotional numb.
Lacking Labels Can you describe the way you’re feeling?
If you had to put your feelings into words, what would you say?
Many people struggling with emotional numbness can’t identify their emotions.
You know something is wrong.
You know you’re not acting like yourself.
But you can’t put your finger on exactly what’s happening.
That’s because emotional numbness is hardly an emotion at all.
Normally, you can label your emotions, because they come in strong, identifiable waves.
When you’re angry, you know you’re angry.
When you’re sad, you know you’re sad.
But emotional numbness doesn’t look like any of your typical emotions.
Instead, it’s an absence of strong feelings, both good and bad.
Because it’s so hard to label your feelings, communication becomes a real challenge.
Say your friend or partner asks you what’s wrong.
You may have no clue what to tell them.
Are you sad?
Do you feel guilty?
Do you feel empty inside?
You may not know how to describe your emotional state to your loved ones.
And that only adds to your frustration and shame.
But this confusion is normal and common.
If you have trouble labeling your feelings, you may be struggling with emotionally numbness.
Sitting on the Sidelines This is one of the most frustrating signs
of emotional numbness.
You struggle with your motivation, inspiration, and work ethic.
You’re constantly irritated with yourself, feeling guilty about your own laziness.
But above all, you feel like life is quickly passing you by.
And it seems like there’s nothing you can do about it.
This feeling is often equated to sitting on the sidelines.
While the rest of the world is playing the game, you’re stuck on the bench.
You lose that sense of action and control in your life.
The world is running, working, and competing, but you feel like you’re sitting in the
background.
Doing nothing.
Going nowhere.
This discouraging feeling is common among people who are emotionally numb.
Your brain creates the illusion that the world is passing you by.
It convinces you that everyone is doing better than you.
That everyone is moving faster than you.
But this feeling is all in your head.
It’s the powerful byproduct of guilt, shame, and fear.
Together, these negative emotions blend into an isolating and self-destructive mindset.
The truth is… life unfolds differently for everyone.
Careers move at different paces.
Some people grow faster than others.
There’s no right or wrong way to live your life, so don’t listen to your own aggressive
expectations.
The world isn’t passing you by.
You’re not sitting on the sidelines.
But, if you feel like you are, you may be emotionally numb.
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