Ever felt like your feelings are too scary to sit with? Like anger, grief, jealousy, shame or fear arrives and suddenly you'll do almost anything rather than actually let yourself feel it? Yeah. Us too. In this episode of Too Much Apparently, we (Carly and Alice — two therapists who spend a lot of time helping other people feel their feelings and still sometimes don't particularly fancy feeling our own) get real about why some emotions can feel frightening, unbearable or simply like something we need to make disappear. We explore the emotional education most of us never received, what we learn about “good” and “bad” feelings from our families and culture, and why the way we respond to an emotion can sometimes create another whole layer of suffering. This time we talked about: 🎙️ We’ve felt this thing too (and we still do): Hello anxiety that feels physically horrible, anger we're not sure we're allowed to have, grief that arrives in enormous waves, and feelings we'd really rather reason, distract or analyse our way out of. 👀 What it looks like in real life: Trying to get back to happy as quickly as possible, judging yourself for being angry or sad, scrolling or working to escape a feeling, worrying when something good will disappear, and desperately trying to “regulate” yourself instead of letting yourself be human. 🧠 Why our brains do it: The emotional education we received growing up, family roles, gender and cultural messages, emotional invalidation, trauma, neurodivergence, intense emotional experiences and everything we've learned about which feelings are acceptable. 🧍🏽♀️🧍🏻 The different ways it shows up: Feeling emotions so intensely they seem bigger than you, shutting feelings down completely, being frightened of losing control, feeling ashamed of your reactions, or becoming so focused on getting rid of an emotion that the fight against it becomes part of the problem. 🧰 Coping mechanisms: Curiosity instead of judgement, parts work, noticing where feelings live in the body, asking what an emotion might be communicating, getting support from somebody who can stay calmly present, and learning when a feeling needs action versus when it simply needs space. 🌱 How to make peace with it: The goal isn't to become perfectly regulated or learn to comfortably tolerate every emotion that ever comes your way. Maybe it's simply becoming a little less frightened of what you feel — and a little more willing to listen when the monster knocks on the door. Thanks for listening 💛💜🩷🩵🧡 💬 New episodes every Monday. 🎧 Follow now to join the conversation. 🧡 CONNECT WITH US 🎙️ Podcast socials: → Instagram: @toomuchapparently → TikTok: @toomuchapparently → YouTube: Too Much, Apparently → Website: www.toomuchapparently.com → Substack: Too Much, Apparently 👩💻 Carly Radford: → Website: www.carlyradford.com → Instagram: @the_sensitivity_therapist 👩🏻💻 Alice Tew: → Website: www.alicetew.com → Instagram: @reparentingwithalice 📩 Email us: hello@toomuchapparently.com 🗓️ New episodes every other Monday This is a podcast that says: bring your too-muchness… we’re here for it. Disclaimer: Just a quick note to say this podcast isn’t therapy, and it’s not a substitute for professional support. We’re here to share ideas and experiences, but if you’re struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional or a support service near you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- difficult emotions, emotional avoidance, how to feel your feelings, how to sit with emotions, emotional regulation, emotional dysregulation, emotional overwhelm, intense emotions, anxiety podcast, grief podcast, emotional validation, co regulation, parts work, emotional education, neurodivergent podcast, sensitive people podcast, therapy podcast, mental health podcast, overthinking podcast, Too Much Apparently podcast #EmotionalRegulation #MentalHealth #TooMuchApparently
