#emotional-pain

#emotional-pain

Last night I had a dream and you were in it, and I was in it with you. I was doing the packing I never did. Not sure how it started, that's how dreams go. But I was nervous that you might show up. Just like you were nervous I'd be there. Eventually you did show up, but your head was buzzed and dyed orange.

I consider them all my best friends even though I have friends in my life that I see more regularly, she wrote, adding that she felt foolish, childish, to be so upset, especially given her vintage.

Hearing loss can cause psychological and emotional suffering, stemming from feelings of being dismissed, embarrassment in social situations, or self-isolation.

Eating disorders often look like they're about discipline or willpower, weight loss or weight gain, control or chaos. That's precisely how diet culture wants us to see them. But underneath, they're about pain, about regulation, about protection.

Not all emotional pain comes from the same brain circuits that process trauma.

The need for connection is evolutionary. Traveling in packs offered physical protection and emotional support. Ostracism threatens belonging more clearly and more strongly than other unpleasant social responses.

Over a century ago, psychologist William James wrote, "My experience is what I agree to attend to." Neuroscience has since confirmed this insight, showing that emotional states are tied to where attention goes.

I am the only daughter in a family with four brothers. My family treats me like I don't exist. It hurts deeply knowing my father doesn't even like me.