Poll Do You Have Difficulty Recognising Your Emotions?

[RubyNicole]

I can't identify some feelings. I think its mostly when it is because of something internal. Sometimes all I know is that I don't feel "right". Sometimes I just cry and can't say why.

 

[disconnect]

Sometimes. I'm extremely self-aware and I can recognise when patterns are being repeated or if old feelings have returned. There are though, however, times I just cannot recognise feelings at all. This is usually before/during/after a flashback or when I completely shut down and I'm not receptive to anything.

 

[jo may]

I get confused easily and never really know how I'm feeling if I'm honest.

 

[Awakening]

Oh God, this is depressing, I still say I don't know most of the time. I think I lack some brain cell that lets you express emotions, naming them etc.

 

[Srain]

Lately it's just sad. I'm guessing this is good as the rage has subsided and it means I am not predictable emotionally at this time but I'm hurt and sad. I know why, When I'm full of rage it's a little harder to want to understand why at that time as I am more into the emotion.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I really don't know...

I am numb or anxious, occasionally happy. I don't ever feel anything else.

 

[Britt.f7]

Sometimes I wonder if I ever really feel love towards anyone, especially my husband. I know I must, but I wonder if I'm really capable of doing so. But I must right? I would never discuss this with him or anyone else, besides this forum. I would never want to hurt him.

Though, I have to say, when my grandma died I didn't think I could ever feel that badly if my mother or father died. Then my mother died and my heart broke. So I was obviously wrong.

If someone was to ask me how I'm feeling I have a very hard time determining it.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Yes I can recognize my emotions. I know how I am feeling. I did not used to be this way. We need our emotions to function normally. I hate to be numb. I am glad I have emotions. They help me to decide what it is I should do in any given situation.

 

[99Phoenix99]

My biggest problems with emotions is that they are delayed (still!). Something happens and it takes anywhere from hours to days for me to recognize the emotions that I'm feeling about what happened. By then it's pretty much too late to say or do anything about an incident or issue.

Took the words right out of my mouth. It takes me HOURS to recognize what I was really feeling.

I rarley deal with those feelings or address the causes. For me I just learned from a very early age that what I was "feeling" was unimportant

I feel like that's one of the reasons why I have such a difficulty with emotions. I always had the thought "I don't have time to feel" I just had to do what I need to do to get through the day. I learned that my emotions meant nothing in the long run. When I was in the hospital as a minor it didn't matter if I was scared, mad, or in pain I would be in there regardless of how I felt. I would have surgeries and procedures regardless. My emotions were nothing but a hindrance because they only got in the way of what needed to be done. So I just cut them off.

Now for some reason I have feelings running rampant. I'm so unused to it takes a great deal of time and consideration to figure out what it is I'm feeling. And even more time to consider if what I'm "feeling" is justifiable to a situation.

 

[Phoenix_Rising]

Most of the time I have no idea what I am feeling... Unless it's a really extreme emotional reaction. I think I am usually dissociated unless I am in therapy & my T is actively trying to help me notice & experience what is going on in my body. Even then other dissociation or numbing will often kick in-- like a redundant backup system. But sometimes I can manage to identify feelings, it is usually difficult to do though. It very much sucks, especially when the only other option is the other extreme.

 

[Britt.f7]

I thought about my comment earlier about love. I think it is like my T says, I have a hard time allowing myself to feel joy or anything good. Most of the time when that happens, where I feel good, I think it catches me by surprise. I obviously love, but I feel so vulnerable.

 

[forestfox]

Yes, I really find it hard to be aware of what I'm feeling and why. Often my T asks me how something makes me feel, and it's like she has asked me a difficult math question! I sit there furrowing my brows trying to desperately work out what it is, but it doesn't come usually. I guess I am just numb a lot.

I have the whole delayed response thing too....really annoying! My bf will say something that annoys me, but I won't realise it for hours/days/weeks! It's getting shorter though.

I find it hard to be any more specific than I feel bad or good...T is introducing me to more feelings slowly I think.