Why do people bottle up their emotions? What does it even mean to bottle up your emotions? To bottle up your emotions means to keep things inside or hide your feelings. There are many reasons why people bottle up their emotions. They might not feel safe around others, not even their loved ones. Maybe they don’t want to burden those around them. They might feel like they can handle things on their own without anyone’s help. Or maybe they don’t like sharing their feelings with anyone, especially when the feelings are less than desirable. When they feel like it will make people feel awkward or uncomfortable.  

The truth is, keeping our feelings to ourselves in a way can make us feel safe in an uncertain world. The less people know about us, the less ways they have to hurt us. After all, people don’t want to get hurt. We avoid hurt at all costs, even if the pain is going to be minimal. We hide from our emotions and when someone asks, how are you doing, the answer is always the same. I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine. Even when others can tell that they are not fine. The alternative might feel too scary for some people. They might think, if I say I’m not fine, are people going to look at me in a different light? Will they avoid me? Am I going to be ostracized or looked at in a weird way or worse, with pity in their eyes? People come to the conclusion that it is better to pretend that everything is going great. They think other people might not really want to hear about their problems or how they are really feeling. They are probably just asking because they are trying to be nice. Those are some of the messages that people hear in their head so they prefer to just keep things to themselves and not tell anyone. They prefer not to show their vulnerability and instead suffer in silence.  

However, if people were willing to talk and open up, they would see that everyone is on the same boat. We all struggle, and we all go through hardships. If there is something that we all have in common it is that we all struggle in different ways at different levels. Pain is pain no matter how big or small. After all, we are all human and bad things happen in this life. We can find comfort in sharing our burdens with others. Of course, it is always important to open up to people that you trust and that you know have your best interest in mind. It is also important to surround yourself with people that you can trust. Keeping your emotions bottled-up can cause physical symptoms in your body. When people are not able to release their emotions, they can get irritable easily or stressed. It almost feels like a pressure cooker that needs the valve opened up to release some of the steam or if not, it will explode. There are ways to release your emotions. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the people around you, you can always journal about the things that are on your mind. Finding a therapist is also a great idea. Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Help is always one step away.