Unpacking Me

Who Taught You to Hold Everything In? (And Why It Still Hurts)

Nicky & Mernelle Season 2 Episode 7

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0:00 | 33:24

Why do so many of us learn to hide our emotions, push things down, and carry everything alone?

In this episode, we explore emotional suppression—how it develops, why it feels like survival, and the long-term impact it has on your mental health, relationships, and sense of self. When expressing emotions didn’t feel safe, welcomed, or supported, many of us learned to stay quiet, be “strong,” and handle everything internally.

We unpack how suppressing emotions can show up in adulthood as anxiety, emotional numbness, irritability, burnout, and difficulty asking for help. You’ll also begin to understand why your body may still be holding onto emotions you were never given space to process—and how that can affect your nervous system over time.

This episode is for anyone who feels like they’ve had to be “the strong one,” struggles to express how they feel, or doesn’t even know what they’re feeling anymore.

You don’t have to keep holding everything in.

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