You are here
Blog Home»Jumper Cables
Author: Dr. Alex Patterson is a licensed clinical psychologist at the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2).
"Why can't I feel anymore? I just want to feel something strongly, either good or bad...happy or sad." - Veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
When people think of depression they often think of sadness. When people think of PTSD they often think of anxiety or anger. In other words, people tend to associate these behavioral health issues with strong, negative emotions. What about emotional numbness? Did you know that emotional numbness is another painful symptom common in both depression and PTSD. Emotional numbness means we want to feel our emotions...but can't.
Many veterans who struggle with depression or PTSD say they desperately want their emotions back - good and bad. Because when we can’t feel our emotions, relationships aren't as rewarding, and life can seem dull and meaningless.
Here's the good news... Emotional numbness doesn't have to be permanent. When your emotional engine just won't start, it's time to find a pair of jumper cables and get to work! The following are a few examples of how you can jumpstart your emotions.
- Get active. Physical activity (walking, swimming, participating in a sport etc.) can help activate areas of the brain that aren't working correctly. But, in order to jumpstart your emotions, you have to be consistent - so make physical activity a part of your lifestyle!
- Talk to a professional. Psychologists, counselors, and social workers are trained to help combat emotional numbness. They use special techniques that help change your thinking patterns and jumpstart your emotions.
- Engage your support system. Talk with a friend, family member, chaplain, pastor, or trusted friend. Sometimes just sharing your struggles with someone can jumpstart your emotions and motivate you to make changes in your life.
- Sleep well and eat healthy. Poor sleep and poor diet have a devastating effect on your emotions. Make sure you're getting at least 7 hours of restful sleep and eating a healthy diet. If you're struggling with sleep, or find yourself eating more (or less), than ask your doctor or counselor for advice or help.
- Talk to your doctor. Sometimes physical problems can cause emotional problems. Contact your family physician if you are experiencing any physical issues.
Remember, jump starting your car might require you to flex some muscle and get your hands dirty. Jump starting your emotions will also take some effort and discipline. While most of these interventions are very effective, it takes time before improvements can be noticed. The key is patience and determination.
Feel free to let us know how you conquered your emotional numbness by leaving a comment below.
afterdeployment.org Community Terms and Conditions
If you have feelings of suicide, hopelessness or depression - please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
afterdeployment.org reserves the right to edit and/or remove any user-generated content that violates these Terms and Conditions. The contents of the afterdeployment.org site, such as text, graphics, images, information, and other material contained on the afterdeployment.org site ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the afterdeployment.org site. If you choose to participate in the afterdeployment.org forums and/or blog ("Community") you agree to these Terms and Conditions.
Community posts and comments are reviewed by the Moderators for appropriateness before they are published to the Community. Posts and comments are reviewed between the hours of 0800 and 1700 hours Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and will go live immediately after review unless they are deemed inappropriate based on these Terms and Conditions at which time they will be deleted without notification.
You will not be contacted at any point by any member of the afterdeployment.org staff, nor any related agency or organization. If you are in need of assistance or medical attention, please contact the DCoE Outreach Center or National Suicide Prevention Hotline listed in the top right corner of your screen.You agree not to hold afterdeployment.org liable for anything stated within the Community. Messages and/or comments posted at this site are the sole opinion and responsibility of the poster. afterdeployment.org makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained within the Community.
afterdeployment.org and its Moderators reserve the right to remove, edit or delete without notice any and all content placed in the Community.
Moderator and/or afterdeployment.org action may be final. Actions may be reversed by afterdeployment.org or a Moderator after review of the matter.
Using the forum to solicit discussions contrary to the Terms and Conditions may be considered unacceptable.
It is your responsibility to be familiar with and remain updated to current Community Forum Terms and Conditions. All users of the Community must comply with these Terms and Conditions. Infractions of any Term or Condition may result in revocation of forum privileges.
General content that is inflammatory, vulgar, sexually explicit, rude or otherwise inappropriate will not be tolerated and will be removed.
Always be respectful of the Community, afterdeployment.org employees, and Moderators. Be civil, clean, and decent in all posts. Open discussions of varying points of view are encouraged but only if they remain constructive and not inflammatory. Personal attacks are neither allowed nor tolerated. Anyone using/ posting inappropriate content, language, personal attacks, engaging in hate speeches and rants, or being disruptive to the Community's positive environment may be barred from all further discussions and/ or the afterdeployment.org Community.
The Community is not a venue for personal or private vendettas or causes, including political debates.
Links to adult content, pages with links to adult content, or messages describing anything inconsistent with these Terms and Conditions will be removed.
Do not post copyrighted material or articles written by others without their permission.
Do not post altered-text as an attempt to defeat forum word-filters or otherwise circumvent the rules.
Nicknames, signatures, and avatars are not allowed on the site.
Keep forum thread discussions on topic, and within the subject of the forum. Please do not "hijack" or "bump" the thread to gain additional exposure to a post or yourself. Please do not
cross-post within other forums and threads.Content and Spam that is posted for the sole-purpose of unrelated promotion will be removed and may result in a permanent loss of forum privileges.
Anyone posting another member's personal or website details will be banned. Please do not post sensitive or confidential information to the Community about yourself or other members. Examples include account information, private communications with moderators, etc.
