 Hey, Psych2Go family, have you ever felt emotionally numb before, or do you just feel empty sometimes? You don't feel sad or down, instead, you have trouble feeling anything at all. It's hard to connect with people on a deeper level, and you feel isolated from those around you. Here are 7 reasons why you may be feeling emotionally numb. 1. You've lost sight of yourself. Have you forgotten your goals, passions, and values that make you who you are? You may have lost touch with your inner world, and may even dislike the person you've become. Losing sight of who you are and where you want to go in life can leave you spinning out of control. You could be having trouble processing so many emotions, like frustration, loneliness, and despair all at once, that you end up feeling nothing at all. 2. You're struggling with mental illness. Emotional numbness is one of the symptoms of mood disorders, like depression and bipolar disorder, dissociative disorders, and trauma-related disorders. For example, if you're suffering from a dissociative disorder, you may often have an out-of-body experience, feeling like you're not in control of your speech or movements. You feel numb to your senses and are emotionally disconnected from the people around you. 3. You've been through something traumatic. When you've experienced trauma, it's not uncommon for you to feel emotionally numb, especially as a way to cope with the feelings of helplessness, shock, confusion, and anxiety. While it may seem like a good way to protect yourself and to gain some emotional relief at first, it's not a healthy or effective way to deal with the psychological damage trauma can bring. 4. You're recovering from abuse. Were you ever abused by your parents, family, friends, or a partner? Whether it's physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, or psychological abuse, any type of abuse can be very damaging to a person's mental health. According to a study by Jackson and Harding, abuse can negatively impact your ability to regulate and understand your emotions as well. So feeling emotionally numb could be a way of coping with the stress and pain of being a victim of abuse. 5. You're grieving an important loss. Have you just lost a loved one, or are you grieving the loss of a relationship? Feeling emotionally numb is part of the grieving process. Denial is the very first stage of grief and an important step towards acceptance. You may need time to come to terms with what you've lost and may not yet be ready to deal with all the painful emotions that come with it. 6. You're stressed out all the time. Are you always overwhelmed and stressed out by work or school? Feeling high levels of stress all the time can lead to emotional burnout, which is a negative mental state associated with chronic fatigue, problems with thinking and concentrating, and a loss of interest and motivation. Constant levels of stress can bring you to the verge of a psychological breakdown and can make you emotionally numb to everything. 7. You're on too much medication. Another reason for emotional numbness is if you take antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and other kinds of downers, which are drugs that depress your central nervous system. Emotional blunting and feelings of apathy are common side effects. Some people even report feeling unlike themselves when they're on medication that they stop taking it. But it's important you talk to your doctors first as they may adjust your dosage or change your medication to better suit your needs. Do you relate to any of these signs? If you know someone who may benefit from online counseling, we actually partnered up with BetterHelp, an affordable online counseling platform that you could utilize. They are constantly striving to improve their services and terms and conditions. The link will be in the description box. Thanks for watching.