Yeah, so... um, I don't know exactly what to say but well I had a sequence of about three trauma in my childhood and now I've been really numb for the past 9 years or so... Does anyone have any advice on how to maybe healthily start feeling things again...? :| I'm in therapy also so that should help in time.
It might be easier if you could explain to us what the traumatic incidents were? Even vaguely? Well done for taking therapy though, it should help! It turns out that my brother is depressed and has been so for about the last four or so years, although it has amplified recently. We always make sure to talk to him about his feelings, especially when he has one of his "episodes" (when he suddenly stops moving and just stands still for up to 20 minutes, overwhelmed by dark thoughts). So if you could talk to maybe a friend or family member as well that would help?
Find something in your life that you enjoy and let yourself have fun and feel happiness. Take the risk to push yourself out of your shell.
@Awesome Thanks, I'm trying to. I try to do things, but most often they give me no joy. Like, I, uh... helped a guy out... when we were having some drinks.... I don't know, I felt no joy, no thrill, nothing. I do fun things with friends and so sometimes but... @flitterpad I don't talk to people IRL much because I have social anxiety... I do a little bit but not much...
Make friends (online or offline), talk to them, offer your sympathies and try to put yourself in their position. I am a cool headed person most of the time, but I've found that I can burst into tears in mere seconds when I empathize with people who lose limbs and loved ones in war zones, starving children, or even people who feel alone, unworthy or unloved. I think humans are capable of feeling an immense amount of love that most can't even fathom. But our capacity to love others is impeded by how little we love ourselves. We are essentially a deity species who are blinded by the veil of superficiality, eating each other over fear, pride or greed. If only we realized that all is one, there would be paradise on earth.
I can't really give you any specific advice because I can't even remember how I started to feel stuff again. I think it's just a long process that takes a willingness to get better and confront the negative emotions you've been numbed to. Also, things will probably get worse before they get better, but that's just a sign that you are recovering. Like, you'll probably feel negative emotions before you feel positive ones, but if you can feel one thing then that should open the floodgate to everything else. At that point you just need to hang in there! Then again, everything I say might be entirely circumstantial and only relevant to my experience of mental illness. Still, it's been helpful to me so maybe you'll be able to take at least something from it? But even if I am wrong about everything feel free to talk to me whenever! I've definitely got enough free time right now :dry:
