Why Rejecting Your Feelings Makes Them Stronger

"The reality is that human beings are meant to have feelings, both positive and negative. This is why if you are alive, you feel things. Furthermore, if you are alive, you feel things you'd rather not feel."

"If you grew up in a family that rejected and denied your feelings (an emotionally neglectful family), then you probably tend to do that with your feelings now. Those who grew up with childhood emotional neglect, which is extremely common in today's world, know only one way to deal with difficult feelings, and it involves judging, denying, and rejecting them."

"Some feelings can take on extra power. They may have built themselves up over years of having the same experience over and over again. They may be a result of a one-time event that made a great impact, or they may be far out of your awareness so that it's difficult for you to properly address them."

All living beings experience feelings continuously throughout their day, ranging from mild to intensely powerful emotions. While most feelings pass without significant impact, some become magnified through repeated experiences, traumatic events, or unconscious suppression. Humans naturally experience both positive and negative emotions, including sadness, rejection, unworthiness, and hate. Many people attempt to avoid unpleasant feelings rather than acknowledge them. Those raised in emotionally neglectful families develop patterns of rejecting, denying, and judging their difficult emotions instead of processing them. This avoidance mechanism, common in today's world, prevents individuals from properly addressing their emotional experiences and understanding themselves.

Read at Psychology Today