3 Myths About Feelings

Many patients I work with have preconceived beliefs about feelings and what they mean. This can lead to people not expressing their feelings, which in turn can cause depression and anxiety down the road. Part of my work with patients is helping them change their beliefs about feelings and what it means to express emotion. Here are some myths that I often have to challenge with patients.

Expressing Emotions Means I”m Weak

Many people are raised in families that teach them not to express uncomfortable feelings like sadness because it means you’re weak. Unfortunately what happens is that people attach a meaning to sadness and have difficulty expressing sadness and other uncomfortable feelings later in life. Internalizing our feelings and “stuffing them down” can lead to greater mental health issues down the road like depression and anxiety.

If I Let Myself Feel My Emotions They Will Never Stop

This is a common myth I hear from patients. It seems that some people feel that feelings are like flood gates, if you open them you can never close them back up. Part of my work with patients who feel this way is helping them to express their feelings in short increments of time and having a definite stop time. I’m essentially teaching my patients how to practice feeling their emotions on their terms, and helping them understand that they can stop those feelings at any time.

Feeling My Emotions Will Hurt Me

This is another myth that many of my patients come into therapy with. Some people have a belief that feeling or expressing emotions will hurt them in some way. From a therapeutic perspective, there is a lot of work I do with patients surrounding irrational beliefs about how feelings will affect them. Most patients soon come to realize that they actually feel a lot better when they start expressing their feelings on a regular basis.

These are just some of the myths about feelings that I encounter with my patients. I regularly work with patients on becoming more comfortable with their feelings and having a regular outlet for them. Kristin is currently accepting new patients and can be reached at 704-237-7037 and kristin@silverliningcharlotte.com.