Depression: Can Trapped Grief Cause Depression?

While a physical problem can stand out, an emotional problem can remain hidden. Yet, even though there can be a difference here, it doesn’t mean that one problem is more important than other.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what kind of pain one is experiencing, what matters is that they seek the right assistance. If one has a physical problem, they might take some tablets, go to see their doctor or even end up going to the hospital.

But if one has an emotional problem, they might not know what route to take. They could take tablets and/or go to their doctor, but they are unlikely to do to the hospital. Yet there is also the chance that they won’t do anything, and just end up suffering in silence.

The Difference

If one has a physical problem, they are not necessarily going to feel need to keep it to themselves. But if they have an emotional problem, they could feel the need to hide it from others.

This is partly due to the fact that human beings live in a world that rarely embraces each part of them. Their physical body is embraced, as is their intellect, but their emotional body is often ignored.

Out of Balance

And if society is out of balance, it is not going to be much of a surprise if the people who are part of the society are also out of balance. This could mean that people end up with a highly developed intellect, but their emotional and physical development could be way behind.

Or perhaps they could have developed their intellect and their physical body but their emotional body has been ignored. Just as some people could neglect their intellect and their emotions and just develop their physical body.

Associations

So due to emotional problems being viewed differently, it can stop people from reaching out for the support they desperately need. On one side, they need support, but on the other, they might fear that others will reject them and/or see them as ‘weak’.

How they feel on the inside is then covered up and the people around them might not even know how they are experiencing life. Or one could reveal how they feel, and the people around them could make them feel even worse.

Part of Life

However, although emotions are often overlooked, they are part of being human.  In an ideal world, they would be seen as normal and not as something to run away from, hide or to be ashamed of. 

If one avoids their emotions, it could have an impact on their physical health and it could also affect their mind. What this shows is that it is not possible for one to simply ignore their emotions without every other part of them being affected in some shape or form.

Depression

There are many ways someone can suffer emotionally and one of those ways is when they are depressed. Here, one is likely to feel hopeless and as though they have lost the will to live, among other things. But this doesn’t mean that there is one type of depression or that there is only one cause.

One could feel mildly depressed on one side of the spectrum and on the other, they could feel clinically depressed.  Just as they could feel this way because they have just broken up with someone or it could also be a sign that one is out of touch with their anger.

Normal

Based on how they feel, they could end up being diagnosed as depressed or they could do their own research and come to this conclusion themselves. Yet, there is also the chance that one feels this way and hasn’t done anything about it.

In this case, it could be normal and how they have been for many, many years. They might have just carried on with their life as best as they could and used certain things to manage how they feel.

Body over Mind

When one does feel this way, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to use their mind to change how they feel. Their emotional body is in pain and thinking differently could be as effective as trying to warm a house up with a candle.

Thinking differently, changing one’s diet or even exercise might help, but then again, it might have no effect whatsoever. What this can then mean is that one is carrying trapped grief in their body.

Grief

When one experiences some kind of loss, there is the chance that they will experience grief. This is not a process than can be rushed or forced; it is something that one has to surrender to. It could go on for months or it could last years, and this is because there is no set time timeframe.

But while some people will go with this process, there are going to be others who are unable to. Their sense of loss is then denied and they can end up being disconnected from how they feel. And this could relate to a loss that one experienced during their childhood or their adulthood, or it could relate to a number of losses that one has experienced throughout their life.

Disconnected

Time may have passed and one might have forgotten about what happened, but how they felt as a result of what took place has stayed within them. These feelings are then out of their awareness and one can end up feeling depressed.

Awareness

If one was to come to the conclusion that the reason they feel depressed is because they need to grieve a loss or a number of losses, it is going to be important for them to seek external support. This could be in the form of a therapist, healer and/or some kind of support group.

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Oliver J R Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/