By Stephen Villo
A lion’s share of us, when experiencing heavy emotions, tend to keep to ourselves. Not sharing what one feels, when done to an extent, just intensifies the emotional toll. Although, in situations few and far between, it ends up with the person doing something unacceptable.
Emotions are strong feelings coming from a person’s circumstances, mood, or interpersonal relationships. Every person handles emotions differently, the negative ones in particular. Some people usually vent to someone they trust, relax, or face it head-on. In less favorable circumstances, the person is inclined to bottle up those emotions. This type of reaction is dangerous to most, if not, all.
A student of FEPS Al Shahba recently made a short film titled “The Inner Anguish”. It characterizes one, Joseph R. Lorenzo, who silently suffers from what he deems as anguish from within. Although the film is slightly unclear as to what Joseph is afflicted with, the film’s publisher – Aaqib Mufti, tried to clarify by saying – “There is a scene in the film where he said: ‘medics say it’s a disorder, I would say it’s something inner in me.’ It’s those feelings that give him a separate perspective from the world everyone else is seeing.”
Returning to the film’s main theme, the character provides an extreme example of what restraining emotions can bring. Joseph calls upon a psychiatrist to vent his problems and has anger returned to him. This causes the character to act irrationally and do immoral things. Although reactions such as these don’t usually happen, the adverse effects of suppressing your feelings are dangerous.
Emotional bottling is a person’s reaction to heavy sentiments brought on by things around them. The Inner Anguish written by one of our students showcases the abnormal reactions to this behavior. Releasing these negative emotions is an essential requirement for healthy well-being.