While this may provide temporary relief, learning to cope with difficult feelings this way can have long-lasting consequences. If you find yourself thinking, "I feel numb," it may be a sign of an emotional or mental health condition.
You might have trouble identifying your own emotions and may struggle to join in or interact with other people. Often, emotional numbness results in temporary restrictions in the capacity to feel or express emotions.
Ultimately, it becomes a coping tool defined by avoidance, denial, detachment, and dismissal that blocks capacity for confronting, processing, problem-solving, and managing emotions and experiences. The symptoms of emotional numbness include:. Emotional numbness can happen as a result of physical or emotional pain. When this happens, you may feel temporary relief that allows you to move on with your life.
Over time, though, this protective shield can begin to get in the way of connecting with others and getting in touch with feelings that are both positive and negative.
How one person experiences emotional numbness may look completely different from how you present with symptoms. For example, you may struggle to connect with others or lose the ability to feel sadness or joy in response to certain events. There are a variety of reasons you might feel numb. Feeling emotionally numb may also be a side effect of taking some medications that treat depression and anxiety.
They may choose to adjust your dosage or change the medication altogether. Emotional numbness is most often seen with post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD , which is a psychiatric disorder that can happen as a result of experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. In order to cope with the trauma from an event, some people will turn to emotional numbing or avoidance as a way to manage the emotional and physical pain. For people with PTSD, this can also manifest in avoiding thoughts, feelings, or conversations about the traumatic event and places or people that bring the event to mind.
Individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorders may also experience emotional numbness as a response to extremely high stress levels, fear reactions, or excessive worry.
In fact, avoidance of both positive and negative emotions is associated with higher levels of anxiety. Additionally, Mendez points out that depressive episodes may present with decreased attunement to feelings, dulling of emotions, and emotional numbing. There are a variety of treatment options available that can help you reduce the extent to which you try to escape, disengage from, or avoid your emotions.
Once you find a therapist or psychologist to work with, the first step in the treatment process is unpacking the cause of your emotional numbing. A therapist can help you determine the underlying cause of the trauma, and come up with better ways to cope with overtaxing experiences and emotions. If you or a loved one are struggling with depression or another mental health condition, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA National Helpline at for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Many people with sciatica pain find lying down painful. In general, some sleeping positions are better than others and put less stress on the sciatic…. Learn the average duration of a pinched nerve based on type, what treatments are available, and how to prevent pinched nerves in the first place.
With neuropathic pain, the body sends pain signals to your brain unprompted. Here's what causes it and what you can do. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Why Are My Limbs Numb? Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. What does numbness of limbs feel like? What causes numbness of limbs? When should I seek medical help for numbness of limbs?
How is numbness of limbs diagnosed? How is numbness of limbs treated? Eat a healthy diet and avoid too much alcohol. Some alternative therapies, such as massage or acupuncture, might also help. If your numbness is caused by a vitamin deficiency, your doctor may advise you to take supplements.
Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Read more on Better Health Channel website. Numb or cold feet, pins and needles, a burning sensation or dry skin can all be signs that diabetes is affecting your feet. When someone close to you dies it may seem like everything has been turned upside down.
You may feel shock, disbelief, numbness, sadness, anger Read more on Tune In Not Out website. Read more on Brain Foundation website. Neuropathy in diabetes also called diabetic nerve damage or diabetic neuropathy is temporary or permanent damage to nerve tissue in people with diabetes mellitus. Symptoms depend on which nerves are affected. Read more on myDr website. Foot care Looking after your feet When you have diabetes you need to take care of your feet every day Having diabetes can increase your risk of foot ulcers and amputations Daily care can prevent serious complications Check your feet daily for changes or problems Visit a podiatrist annually for a check up or more frequently if your feet are at high risk Why?
Your feet are at risk because diabetes can cause damage to the nerves in your feet, blood circulation and infection. Read more on Diabetes Australia website. Raynaud's disease causes spasm of the arteries leading to fingers and toes, causing them to feel numb and turn white, blue and red then tingle and feel painful.
Evidence-Based Physical Diagnosis. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Peripheral nerve disorders. Swartz MH. The nervous system. In: Swartz MH, ed. Textbook of Physical Diagnosis: History and Examination. Updated by: Joseph V. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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