Why Avoiding Your Emotions Doesn’t Make Them Go Away

Have you ever told yourself, “I don’t have time to feel this,” or “I’ll deal with it later”. Only to find that “later” never really comes?

If so, you’re not alone. Many of us grow up believing that emotions are inconvenient, dramatic, or even unsafe. So we push them down. We distract ourselves. We stay busy. We tell ourselves to move on.

But here’s the thing: emotions don’t disappear just because we ignore them. They don’t vanish they wait. And over time, they can show up in ways we don’t expect:
- Sudden irritability
- Feeling disconnected or numb
- Anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere
- Trouble sleeping or focusing
- A constant sense of heaviness or restlessness

When we avoid our feelings, we’re not avoiding pain, we’re prolonging it.

Emotions Are Messengers, Not Enemies

Emotions aren’t here to ruin our day. They’re here to give us information. Anger might be pointing to a boundary being crossed. Sadness might be asking us to slow down and tend to something we’ve lost. Anxiety might be flagging a part of us that feels unsafe or overwhelmed.

When we learn to listen, rather than silence, our emotions they soften. They move through us. And we become more in tune with who we are and what we need.

But What If I Don’t Know How to Feel?

That’s a completely valid question. If you’ve spent years learning to survive by staying strong, quiet, or “put-together,” then emotional expression might feel foreign, even scary.

Therapy gives you a safe place to practice feeling.
There’s no rush. No pressure. No “right” way to do it.
Together, we explore what’s underneath the surface at your pace. Sometimes that looks like naming what you’re feeling for the first time. Other times it looks like sitting quietly with a feeling without needing to fix it.

The goal isn’t to drown in your emotions; it’s to learn how to ride the waves, one breath at a time.

You Don’t Have to Carry It Alone

If you're tired of bottling things up…
If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed and not sure why…
If you’ve been avoiding your emotions because they just feel like too much…

You're not broken. You're human. And it’s okay to need support.

Therapy offers space to feel without judgment, to explore without fear, and to reconnect with the parts of you that have been patiently waiting to be heard.

I’d be honoured to walk alongside you as you begin that journey.

With warmth,
Elnaz Reyhani, RPC Student
Founder of Serenity Haven Counselling