Talking and verbalizing our problems to our family, friends or even strangers create relief and less burden to self. Studies show that sharing the issues that bother us with Someone, we trust creates healing, reduces stress and emotional distress, and boosts self-esteem.
It is a normal feeling that there are times that we feel stressed and feel overwhelmed as we face and deal with life challenges such as breaking up with a partner, losing a job, failing grades, or grieving a death. However, many people feel hesitant to express and share what they think as they believe that it is a sign of weakness and feel shy about sharing their problems.
However, verbalizing our problems helps us heal from emotional distress. Neuroscience studies by Lieberman et al. (2007) and Silberweig (2012), as cited by Dreher (2019), shows that as we label our feelings, there is a reduction of activation of the amygdala, which is the alarm system of our brain, triggers our fight-or-flight reaction. A study by Pouthier (2017), cited by Truong (2018), found out that venting out has an excellent result to mental health as it provides a bond between the listener and the personal feelings. And as we verbalize and notice our emotions, we become less reactive and more mindful about our feelings.
Talking about our feelings and problems to our trusted people or even strangers allows us to understand our thoughts and free up our minds as we can have people who will support us in dealing with the problems. It is not mentally healthy to struggle on your own as you may feel alone and no one understands you and become stuck in a place overthinking your situation.
So, the next time you feel a little down, instead of suppressing your emotion and bottling it up, try reaching out to your trusted people and sharing it with them to ease your negative emotions. You are not alone in this fight.
Banfield, J. (2015, December 1). The Benefits of Sharing Problems With Others. JerryBanfieldcom. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://jerrybanfield.com/sharing-problems-with-others/.
Dreher, D. (2019, June 11). Why talking about our problems makes us feel better. Psychology Today. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-personal-renaissance/201906/why-talking-about-our-problems-makes-us-feel-better.
Durlofsky, P. (2018, July 18). 4 benefits of talking out problems. Main Line Today. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://mainlinetoday.com/life-style/health/4-benefits-of-talking-out-problems/.
Truong, K. (2018, August 23). Here's why venting about stress feels so good. Why Talking To Someone & Venting Emotions Helps Stress. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/venting-talking-to-someone-benefits.