7 Signs That You Have Empty Feelings

"It's like I have no emotions; I'm numb a lot of the time. Something is missing in me. I have no idea how I feel about anything. Sometimes my chest feels hollow. I feel empty inside. What might seem like five unrelated statements is actually five different people describing the same feeling. It's a difficult emotion to identify, and even harder to put into words."

"Of all the different emotions that a person can have, "empty" is one of the most uncomfortable. To feel empty is to feel incomplete. It's a feeling of something absent or missing inside of you, of being different, set apart, alone, lacking, numb. This is a feeling that can drive people to do a myriad of unhealthy things, like overeat, overdrink, overshop, or even use drugs. This is a feeling that gradually, quietly erodes a person's joy, energy, and confidence."

"Just as every feeling we have tells us something about ourselves, so also does emptiness. It tells us that we are missing something vital in ourselves. Something that is required for happiness and fulfillment. Is it something different for every person? I don't think so. What's missing is the same for most who feel empty. What's missing is: Emotion From talking with scores of people who have this feeling of emptiness, I have been able to identify what I believe is its cause."

Emptiness is a subjective sense of internal hollowness, numbness, or lack of feeling that many people describe in varied ways. The feeling signals a missing vital element—emotional presence and validation—rather than a personal flaw. Persistent emptiness often drives unhealthy coping behaviors such as overeating, excessive drinking, overshopping, or substance use, and slowly erodes joy, energy, and confidence. The underlying cause frequently traces to childhood emotional neglect, where feelings were overlooked. Reconnecting with and validating one’s own emotions offers a pathway to begin filling the emptiness and restoring fulfillment.

Read at Psychology Today