What Are Emotional Hangovers And How Are They Overcome?
What happens when we drink too much alcohol? The next day we have a terrible hangover and it cannot be prevented. But it seems that alcohol is not the only thing that can cause a hangover. Neuroscientists at New York University have researched the subject, and they say there are emotional hangovers as well. They are experiences that result from the extremely powerful emotions that shake us.
The question is, can they be prevented? The truth is that you can’t. Emotional hangovers are very powerful states that follow unexpected emotional experiences. They can even affect the recollection of past events and cause physical symptoms ranging from headaches to back pain and exhaustion.
Emotional hangovers cannot be avoided
While we would like to be able to control everything around us, it is impossible. Things happen unexpectedly. Unexpected situations may include, for example, dismissal from work, death of a family member, unplanned pregnancy, diagnosis of serious illness, financial crisis…
All of these cause very strong emotions that can develop into various conditions such as depression, anxiety or even panic attacks.
These unexpected and extremely strong emotions cause a huge hangover, of which, however, most of the time we are not aware. But one way or another, it affects our thoughts, concentration, and memory.
Traces of emotional hangovers linger in our bodies and moods. They are an example of how everything we experience has repercussions long after the event itself.
Just like regular hangovers, emotional hangovers sometimes run out. But instead of minimizing them, we might do just the opposite: we feed them if we constantly expose ourselves to situations that consume us mentally. We may feed them if we refuse to leave our comfort zone. Pretending to be a victim is a good example of a permanent emotional hangover.
How can we minimize the effects of emotional hangovers?
Why can an emotional hangover last? When we have a hangover, we feel bad. And when we feel bad, everything around us becomes gloomy and negative. It’s as if we’re depressed – suddenly we stop seeing the colors of the world and see it only in black and white.
As we have seen, emotional hangovers can make us feel sad, depressed, and anxious, which then affects how we see reality. It is important to be aware of how powerful an experience can affect us and create discomfort.
These emotional hangovers can last from a few hours to one or more days. It depends on the person and his ability to face it, as well as his willingness to move forward from the hurricane he is in. For this reason, it is very important to learn to stay calm when we find ourselves on the brink of a gap. Avoid making important decisions during this hangover if you don’t want to regret anything later. If you make decisions, your work may drain down the drain or you may miss a great opportunity.
Awareness of the emotional hangover is therefore extremely important: this is how we can postpone making life-changing decisions.
Finally, we want to clarify that emotional hangovers are something we all experience at some point. They happen more and more often because of our accelerated rhythm of life. But we can follow in their footsteps if we observe how these situations that evoke strong emotions affect our decision-making and experiences.
Taking a deep breath and giving time to ourselves helps us isolate ourselves from the outside world and connect with ourselves. All of this helps to get over these emotional hangovers, which can be very painful.
