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Anxiety is a common mental state that everyone experiences at one time or another.
Anxiety can either be an adaptive emotion or it can be an inhibitory emotion, which I'll explain in this article (see my article: What is the Difference Between Fear and Anxiety?).
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| Anxiety Can Signal Suppressed Emotions |
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is characterized by physical and mental symptoms including (but are not limited to):
- Muscle tension
- Rapid heartbeat
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Digestive issues
- Lightheadedness
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Trembling
- Twitching
- Excessive worry or a sense of impending danger
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Avoidance of feared situations
When is Anxiety Adaptive?
Mild anxiety can be adaptive.
For instance, mild anxiety can be adaptive before taking an exam, giving a presentation or preparing for a sporting event because it acts as a catalyst to help you to focus and prepare for these events to improve your performance.
When is Anxiety a Signal You Are Suppressing Deeper Emotions?
Anxiety can also act as a secondary emotion that let's you know you're suppressing core emotions, which are also known as deeper emotions or primary emotions (I'll use these terms interchangeably).
Core emotions include:
- Sadness
- Fear
- Joy
- Anger
- Surprise
- Disgust
When is Anxiety an Inhibitory Emotion?
When you experience anxiety as a secondary emotion, the anxiety is a signal that you are suppressing (or inhibiting) core emotions.
Learning to suppress emotions often occurs early in life.
As a child, you might have learned that emotions are "dangerous".
This usually occurs when a parent, who is uncomfortable with certain emotions, either ignores, punishes or lets you know in some other way that these emotions are unsafe.
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| Learning to Suppress Emotions as a Child |
For instance, let's say you cried as a child because you were afraid of going to school. If your parent was uncomfortable with your crying and didn't know how to handle your emotions, your parent might have said, "Stop being a drama queen" or "Big girls don't cry" or "You look ugly when you cry" (see my article: What is Childhood Emotional Neglect?).
If you had enough of these experiences as a child, you learn that it's unsafe to experience certain emotions because your parent isn't going to comfort you or, worse still, your parent will ignore, punish or criticize you. So, rather than experiencing the unbearable vulnerability of being alone with uncomfortable emotions, you learn to suppress these emotions.
When emotions are suppressed, the suppression creates trapped emotional energy which forces the body to keep the nervous system in a chronic state of fight-or-flight. This results in sustained spikes of cortisol or adrenaline which can create the anxiety-related symptoms mentioned above (racing heart, muscle tension and so on).
How Can You Address Suppressed Core Emotions?
If you notice you're feeling anxious and it's not a mild anxiety that is adaptive, you can pause, get curious, tune into your body and ask yourself, "What am I feeling underneath this anxiety?"
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| Using Somatic Awareness to Tune Into Your Body |
For instance, if you tune into your body and notice that underneath your anxiety you're feeling sadness, you can reduce the anxiety in your body by allowing yourself to feel the sadness (see my article: The Mind-Body Connection and Somatic Awareness).
At that point, maybe you allow yourself to cry to release some of the sadness or maybe you write in a journal to express your sadness.
You might also talk to a trusted friend so you don't feel alone with your sadness and you can receive validation that your experience is normal and your friend has had similar experiences.
Other emotions that suppress core emotions are shame and guilt.
Getting Help in Therapy
If you find it difficult to tune into your body and detect the emotions you are suppressing, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who practices Experiential Therapy.
A psychotherapist who practices Experiential Therapy can help you to develop the necessary somatic awareness to deal with suppressed emotions and the underlying issues.
Experiential therapies are especially helpful in overcoming anxiety and trauma (see my article: Why is Experiential Therapy More Effective Than Traditional Talk Therapy?).
Experiential therapies include:
- Somatic Experiencing (SE)
- Parts Work Therapy (IFS or Ego State Therapy)
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| Getting Help in Therapy |
Rather than struggling on your own, seek help in therapy so you can calm your nervous system, deal with the underlying issues you have been suppressing and live a more fulfilling life.
About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.
As an Experiential Therapist, I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.
To find out about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.
To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.
Also See My Articles:
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