Feeling emotionally numb? Here are 6 psychiatrist approved tips to reconnect with yourself

Does it ever seem like you can’t feel any emotions? You might feel detached from yourself, empty, or even dead inside. Even if something super positive or negative happens, you don’t feel an emotional response. This is known as emotional numbness.  

While emotional numbness can happen for many reasons, it’s often a sign that something deeper is going on that needs attention. After all, humans are meant to feel emotions.  

Here’s what you need to know about the causes of emotional numbness, the consequences of numbness, coping strategies, and when to seek professional help.

Why do I feel emotionless?  

There are many potential causes of feelings of numbness, or being unable to feel pleasure. If you’ve been feeling numb, here are some factors that may be contributing.

Mental health conditions

Although we often associate mental health conditions with heightened or intense emotions, some conditions can also lead to numbness.  

• Major depressive disorder (MDD): Depression can cause feelings of intense sadness, but not for everyone. Many people with depression experience emotional numbness. You may feel like you can’t feel any emotions, whether good or bad. Anhedonia, or inability to feel pleasure, is a common symptom of depression. There’s also often a loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy, including socializing with friends, and a loss of motivation.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Trauma survivors who develop PTSD often experience emotional numbness. When you live through trauma, your brain is deeply affected. Your brain might emotionally shut down as a way to protect itself (and you) from feeling overwhelming negative emotions again. Some people with PTSD also experience dissociation symptoms, like depersonalization and derealization, which can also result in feelings of disconnection and emotional numbing.  

• Schizophrenia: While schizophrenia is most commonly associated with delusions and hallucinations, the condition also results in “negative symptoms,” including numbness. If you have schizophrenia, you may experience anhedonia, loss of motivation, and blunted affect, which means reduced outward expression of emotion through facial expressions or tone of voice.

• Borderline personality disorder (BPD): While BPD often causes intense, hard-to-regular emotions, it can also cause a “sense of nothingness,” numbness, and chronic feelings of emptiness. In this personality disorder, the numbness may lead to impulsive behaviors like self-harm as an attempt to feel something.  

Medical conditions

Some medical conditions can be the underlying cause for numbness, too, including:

• Parkinson’s disease: Neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson’s, characterized by tremors and slowed movements, may also cause anhedonia. This can be attributed to the decreased production of the neurotransmitter dopamine as nerve cells die. Dopamine is closely linked to feelings of pleasure.  

• Dementia: Dementia, especially frontotemporal dementia (FTD), is another condition affecting the brain that can lead to anhedonia. As the brain deteriorates, those with dementia may experience emotional blunting, loss of empathy, and apathy.

• Diabetes: Believe it or not, diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, and its effect on blood sugar levels can also result in mental health symptoms such as anhedonia. This may be linked to brain changes, including effects on dopamine and, thus, pleasure.

Medications

If you take psychiatric medications, they might be to blame for your numbness. This is most common with antidepressants known as SSRIs and SNRIs (AKA selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). Although these medications can be very helpful for treating symptoms of depression, they can also result in emotional blunting, where you aren’t really feeling super low feelings, but you also aren’t experiencing great feelings, either. More research needs to be done to evaluate the relationship between medication induced emotional dulling, but current research shows that possibly lowering the dosage of an antidepressant or considering alternative options may improve symptoms However, you should never adjust your dose or stop taking your medication unless your psychiatrist specifically advises you to do so.    

Substances

Using—or abusing—substances can result in numbness. Many people use and abuse substances, like alcohol or illicit drugs, to purposely numb themselves from the emotional pain and negative emotions they feel.  

When you use substances like alcohol or opioids, they affect how the brain responds to emotional stimuli, leading to emotional blunting. The effects aren’t just in the moment. If you are a chronic user of drugs or alcohol, research shows this can lead to emotional blunting even when you aren’t actively using.  

What are the consequences of emotional numbness?

Living with emotional numbness can keep you from living and enjoying life to the fullest.

Anhedonia, or the loss of interest in things, specifically is linked to the following possible mental health consequences:

• Depression

• Anxiety disorders

• Trouble with relationships

• Social isolation

• Suicidal thoughts/behaviors

There are potential links to physical health consequences, too. Research has suggested a link between anhedonia and an increased risk of dementia and heart disease.  

6 ways to stop feeling so numb  

You can take action to stop feeling so numb and live a more full life experiencing a range of emotions. Here are six coping mechanisms and strategies to try.

1. Exercise

While it can be hard to work up the motivation to exercise, the benefits are worth it. Physical activity releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins while also reducing levels of stress hormones. Research shows that exercise (especially aerobic exercise) can boost dopamine levels and reduce anhedonia.  

2. Stay connected

Even though you might not feel motivated to socialize, it’s important to stay connected to loved ones and avoid isolation and loneliness, which can further worsen mental health. Social support has been shown to act as a protective factor against depression symptoms worsening. Open up to your loved ones about how you’re feeling––they’re here to help you.

3. Practice self-care

When you’re struggling with your mental health in any way, it’s important to take care of yourself. Self-care looks different to everyone, but some ideas are:  

• Getting enough high-quality sleep (7-9 hours each night)  

• Eating a healthy, balanced diet

• Exercising regularly

• Practicing gratitude

• Meditating

• Breathing exercises

• Low-stress hobbies

• Spending time outside  

4. Avoid substance-use

While you’re dealing with emotional numbness, it’s important to avoid alcohol and other drugs. On top of the possibility of worsening mental health in general, substance misuse can contribute to even further emotional numbing as it impacts how your brain reacts to emotional stimuli.    

5. Try grounding techniques

Grounding techniques are coping strategies that “ground” you, bringing you into the here and now. These skills are helpful when you’re feeling numb and disconnected, whether from yourself or your surroundings. Some examples are:

• 5-4-3-2-1: This technique has you tune into all of your senses. Take in your surroundings and name five things you see, four things you can touch or feel, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste.

• Progressive muscle relaxation: Purposely tense up and relax all the muscle groups in your body. Start down at your feet, squeezing all your muscles tight while you inhale and hold for a few seconds. Then, exhale as you release and relax the muscle group. Slowly work your way all the way up your whole body.

• Cold exposure: Ice-cold water acts as a shock to your system and calms down your nervous system. You can either dunk your face in a bowl of ice water, take a cold shower, or hold ice cubes in your hands.  

6. Try therapy

A therapist can help you unpack your emotional numbness and address underlying causes related to mental health conditions. They’ll teach you helpful strategies to use when you’re feeling empty or numb and healthy ways to engage in emotional processing.  

A common form of therapy used for many mental health conditions, including depression, is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT helps you understand your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is another form of therapy that can help identify emotions and learn grounding techniques and other ways to lessen the intensity of symptoms" If post-traumatic stress disorder is the cause of your numbness, trauma-specific therapy, such as prolonged exposure therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), can make a big difference.  

When to get help for emotional numbness

If your emotional numbness is interfering with your quality of life or functioning, seek help. You don’t have to keep feeling numb forever. It’s possible to feel better and start enjoying life again.  

Seeing a mental health professional like a psychiatrist is a great first step to overcoming your numbness. A psychiatrist can complete a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to understand your current symptoms, mental health history, and physical health history. They can diagnose you and figure out the underlying cause of your numbness or anhedonia. From there, they’ll present you with treatment options to help you feel better.

If you’re looking for a psychiatrist to help you stop feeling so numb, consider Talkiatry. We’re a national psychiatry practice that treats a wide variety of mental health conditions. We provide virtual, in-network services so you can get the care you need from the comfort of your own home. To get started, complete our free online assessment to get matched with a psychiatrist.

FAQs

Here’s what else to know when you’re experiencing symptoms of emotional numbness.

What does it mean if your feelings are numb?  

Emotional numbness can cause you to feel like you can’t feel any emotions. You might feel detached from yourself or empty inside. There’s a general lack of emotional response, whether for positive emotions like happiness or negative feelings like sadness.

Is it normal to feel numb for no reason?

If you feel numb occasionally, it could be a “normal” response to stress or burnout. However, if you’re feeling numb often for no reason, it could be a sign of a more serious underlying cause such as a mental health condition, medical health conditions, substance misuse, or a medication side effect. Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you frequently feel numb.

Is emotional numbness the same as depression?

Emotional numbness is not the same as depression, but it can certainly be a symptom of depression. Feeling numb and anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure) are common depression symptoms.  

The information in this article is for education and informational purposes only and should never be substituted for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. If you or someone you know may be in danger, call 911 or the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 right away.