SCIENCE | PRESSED EMOTIONS - What happens when it steeps too long?
‘Knees weak, arms are heavy. I’m nervous.’
But what’s going on for real?
There is a common belief that crying is a sign of weakness, that it’s unprofessional and inappropriate, and emotions like anger and sadness are ‘bad’, or that emotions should always be ‘controlled’. Culturally it’s understandable, we live life by these conditions, a over productive society aiming for maximum gain, it doesn’t have time or the ability to nurture you in stressful times.
Common expressions like "picking yourself up by the bootstraps" may sound appealing on the surface. Yes, the idea of resiliency and determination are definitely qualities that are important and admirable, but somewhere along the way, its meaning has evolved into ignoring and stuffing down the feels that come with hardship and tribulations. I guess "pick yourself up by the bootstraps after a good cry" doesn’t quite have the same appeal to most, but it should. Our health and ability to persevere are literally dependent on the extent to which we can regulate ourselves to even allow our brain to achieve this goal. Let me explain...
Emotional repression vs. expression has played out a lot of key differences in my own quality of life. My early years living out days when emotional repression was an exchange for acceptance and ‘love’. (conditional not unconditional as I learned later) this looked like not asking for what I need, unable to criticize my parents parenting, or even asking a simple question. (Because in a toxic and abusive household these things were known to cause a negative reaction from emotionally immature people.) I was miserable, my ADHD was amplified, memory suffered, focus in school was non existent and was prone to emotional outbursts. (of course only in private and in silence)
About a decade later, I was face to face with all of my repressed rage and emotions when I joined a self-defense gym. Thank god I answered that intuitive call to try it out because it was the premission slip I needed to open the door to my inner world. It became obvious that the uncomfortable and down right yucky feeling of simply saying ‘Stop, get back’ to the fictional assailant, let me know my parents did a wonderful job in silencing my voice. I was too afraid to speak up for myself, my voice was not there. I had to fight through discomfort and repressed memories of abuse to find it, it was one of the most difficult thing I have done. Luckily my mentors supported me as I started allowing it to bubble up, even when I wanted to stop they kept pushing me to push through it.
I started feeling lighter, like the weight of carrying all those emotions was being taken off block by block. I was more expressive, smiling more, could even breathe easier, and I started to see the effect on the relationships in my life. A great topic for another day.
Expressing my repressed emotions in addition to honoring the difficult ones that surfaced day to day allowed my body the opportunity to regulate stress a bit better. Bit by bit I would be hit with a sudden realization like ‘wow, I handled that really well, better than I ever have …’ or ‘ I just spoke up for myself and don’t feel as anxious vs if I had kept that in…’ I was interested to know what is going on in my body when I bottle up emotions, and the amazing community of like-minded self-healers did too. So here you will find some pretty fascinating science that may invite you to second guess ignoring those tough emotions the next time they bubble up.
Chronic Stress = Disrupted Cortisol Hormones
When we decided to ignore or stuff down difficult and heavy emotions a stress response is signaled in the body by the brain, activating the sympathetic nervous system and triggering a fight or flight response. Taking a deeper look, the hypothalamus sends signals to the adrenal and pituitary glands to release adrenaline and cortisol throughout the body, prompting it to handle a perceived threat. Blood pressure rises with this increase in adrenaline and cortisol, even causing breathing to become shallow.
Unfortunately, suppressing emotions and not expressing your needs continues this response cycle in the body, creating a negative feedback loop. You have now entered chronic stress territory, with dysregulated cortisol levels and the overextension of your body trying to keep up with the stress demand.
Introducing the HPA axis! An interconnected three-way call with the hypothalamus (in the brain), the Pituitary gland (also in the brain), and the adrenal glands (above your kidneys) is a response system that regulates hormones in your body. When it comes to chronic stress, these glands can become overworked, and that's not good for several reasons. For my IBS girls—especially you Capricorns, notoriously known to be lifetime members of the IBS club—it can be a byproduct of a dysregulated HPA axis. We know you know everything, but the stress of it is literally giving your tummy problems, babe.
Since the HPA axis is working overtime, it takes away your body’s ability to distribute other hormones, including those that focus on digestion, immune responses, and reproduction. For the girls again, this can mean a delay in your menses, and the immune system gets compromised—all because of constantly elevated levels of cortisol from stress.
Compromised Ability to Heal Faster
We have to get into the fact that the immune system gets compromised when your body experiences large amounts of stress. Over 80% of physician visits are actually for socio-emotional issues. THAT’S ACTUALLY NUTS! We let some emotionally stunted twats tell us that emotions are weak. Babe, I literally can’t afford the doctor visit. STFU if you’re not paying those bills. Here is a breakdown of what happens inside the body when this occurs.
We know the HPA axis is working overtime, and that comes with a set of symptoms as a reaction. The chronic stress of overproduction of cortisol is doing several things inside the body, particularly pertaining to the nervous system. With cortisol levels being consistently elevated, it starts to deactivate the immune system by lowering the production of T cells, B cells, and NK (natural killer) cells, which are crucial for signaling and fighting off pathogens in the body. If that weren’t enough, it also lowers healthy white blood cell production and function. These cells are super important because they are the heroes in fighting off cancerous cells.
Lastly, there are protein cells called cytokines, which act as signals to the immune system to alert it to threatening cells. Their function is also lowered, allowing cancerous cells to grow unacknowledged. And for the cherry on top, there is a decrease in immunoglobulins, which are the antibodies in the body that help detect and address threatening cells. The whole system is compromised; there is a reduction in function and production, signaling, and attacking when our body is coping with emotional buildup and staying in a constant fight-or-flight mode.
Brain Reshaping
Like IBS, immune system failure, and a delayed periods weren’t enough, wait until you hear about how you are literally changing the shape of your brain. THE FUCKING BRAIN! Ok, look, the main parts involved when your body is trying to cope with the suppression of heavy emotional responses are the hippocampus—responsible for memory and emotional regulation—the amygdala, which processes emotions, especially fear—and the prefrontal cortex, which regulates and controls emotions. I was a little confused too, but thank goodness for Chat! I asked it what the dang difference is between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Do they both control emotions? What’s the difference?
This is what she said: while they both play roles in emotional regulation, they differ in how. The hippocampus contextualizes emotions based on past experiences and memories, while the prefrontal cortex is responsible for enacting our ability to pause and assess logically before choosing an emotional reaction.
So when I matched the energy to someone who disrespected me, it was a prefrontal cortex decision, not my hippocampus hun. Calling you an “emotionally immature dick” with all my inner passion was a conscious choice, not a trigger. xo
With prolonged emotional repression, trauma, and chronic stress, your hippocampus gets smaller, impairing memory and its ability to contextualize memories accurately. Meanwhile, the amygdala gets bigger, making it hypersensitive and causing it to overreact to emotional stimuli, increasing fear and initiating the “fight or flight” response. This makes it super difficult to regulate your emotions, especially during a PTSD trigger, perpetuating emotional distress and increasing anxiety and fear. HIT IT, HPA! And on and on it goes. It’s not doing you any favors keeping it in; it just makes matters worse.
Allostatic Load = the Compromised nervous system
Allostatic load on the nervous system is the cumulative wear and tear on the body from chronic stress and the body’s repetitive attempts to address and repair it. It’s simply too much for the body to handle after extended amounts of time. It overloads and exhausts the body, then several things start to happen…
On top of the brain's restructuring, the nervous system, due to dysregulation, struggles to activate the body's ability to switch to rest and digest mode from fight or flight. This balance is imperative for the body’s stress management in survival mode. This means your inability to relax is your body’s impairment in switching on your parasympathetic system. This brings on physical AND mental health repercussions, such as:
Mental Health Challenges:
Anxiety
Depression
Cognitive Decline and Brain Fog
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Bipolar Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
and more
This creates a vicious cycle, as mental health issues can further exacerbate stress responses.
Physical Health Consequences:
Cardiovascular disease
Obesity
Diabetes
Immune system dysfunction
Chronic inflammation
I must warn everyone,
This mass of information about health conditions from emotional repression may be overwhelming, and your brain may even want to dissociate, blur out these words, or simply let them float away, unable to conceptualize it. I encourage you to copy this link to revisit with a clear head, soon! This is so important; it hurts my brain too, seeing it all laid out here, worried about how it may be received (or not received at all). It’s so easy not to take seriously the words on a screen, but I write this to you with love and concern for the overall well-being of the collective, and as someone who suffers from C-PTSD, to please take back your power…
You are not a lost cause; it’s not impossible to do. Yes, it’s hard work, but we all have choices. Our brains are hardwired to keep you “safe,” even if it means not taking any of this to heart because it’s too heavy for your brain to receive and may be perceive it as threatening. Listen to your intuition; it knows exactly what you need to do despite the fear.
Simply put, no matter how dark or ugly the emotions bubble up, it is your body’s physical response to release them in order to function properly. It wants to let them go, so I will leave you with this:
You can keep running from those heavy emotions, but they’re not going anywhere. Every time you suppress them, they grow louder beneath the surface, chipping away at your mental and physical well-being. Ignoring them doesn't make you stronger—it leaves you carrying invisible baggage that drags you down, poisoning your peace and your relationships. The fear of facing those emotions might feel overwhelming, but pretending they don’t exist is slowly suffocating your ability to heal and move forward. The truth is, you can’t bury what’s alive inside you. Eventually, it will erupt. The question is, do you want to be in control of your healing, or do you want your mental health and relationships destroyed when those emotions finally explode? It’s time to confront them, because avoiding them is the real danger.
Amanda Lopez is a Central Texas Introspective Photographer, merging art with the human experience to guide you to your highest form.
Inquire here or email inquiries HELLO@frenchpressphoto.com
Interconnected subjects
How to address these concerns and ways to regulate the body from day to day techniques to more intensive therapy options. Coming Soon.
Spiritually energetic means of supressing emotions. Coming soon.