Have you ever felt like you just don't feel anything at all? Not exactly sad, but not happy either. Something good happens and you think, well, that's nice. Something bad happens and you think, okay. And you move through your days feeling sort of flat.
That's emotional numbness. And while it might seem like a good thing to numb yourself to discomfort, there are some downsides to it too.
Some of the things I talk about are:
The winter I couldn't even feel the cold—and how the feeling came back so slowly I almost missed it.
The four different kinds of numb, and why the right response depends on which one you're in.
Why you can't selectively numb the hard feelings without dimming joy and excitement along with them.
The reason feeling numb leaves so many people exhausted—even though it seems like they're not doing anything at all.
Why the feelings you push down don't disappear—and how they resurface two years later in the grocery store.
Why coming back to life isn't a dam bursting, but a dimmer switch your brain controls on purpose.
Why chasing a big emotion (the sad movie, the old photos) often backfires and the small thing to reach for instead.
The "flicker" to watch for, and why motivation follows action here, not the other way around.
Related Episodes
272 — How to Handle Big Emotions: 5 Science-Backed Skills to Stay in Control
332 — Should You Sit With Your Feelings or Change How You Feel? The One Question That Decides It
Links & Resources
Buy a copy of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do
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