Why am I so emotional? Tips and tricks for when you feel overly emotional

Why Am I So Sensitive, and Why Do I Cry Easily?

Crying is a natural way for your body to self-soothe and self-regulate. While society may view crying as weak or dysfunctional, evolutionary psychologists argue that it is a sign of emotional health. 

People who notice they are “more emotional” or cry “easily” may have a higher emotional intelligence and be able to identify and process their emotions more easily than others.

Getting emotional is a part of life. It might feel like too much at times, but keeping emotions in is often what causes them to linger for longer, which can make us feel emotionally drained without always knowing why. 

Sometimes, life’s challenges and circumstances can make our emotions feel overwhelming. There are even people who can be classified as “highly sensitive people” (HSP), meaning that they feel more deeply than most and may be prone to heightened emotional responses. 

However, if it feels like heightened emotions or negative emotions are taking over your judgment, daily functioning, and relationships, it may be time to get to the root of what is triggering these emotions. Whether the cause is mental or physical, consider reaching out to a therapist or your primary care provider to get to the bottom of this challenge.

Why Am I So Emotional? Common Causes for Feeling Emotional

Emotions are complex, and there are many possible reasons—both psychological and physical—for someone to feel unusually emotional. Some common causes include the following:

• Mental health disorders: Mental health conditions like mood disorders and anxiety disorders could be affecting your moods and ability to regulate your emotions. 
• Hormonal imbalance: Fluctuations in hormone levels or hormonal imbalance can easily affect a person’s emotions. Puberty, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), thyroid difficulties, levels of testosterone, being on steroids or birth control, and menopause are known to cause emotional spikes. 
• Poor lifestyle habits: Habits including lack of sleep, poor hygiene, lack of exercise, and insufficient diet can all cause emotions to elevate or dip. Since the mind and body are connected, taking care of yourself physically can also help you mentally.
• Trauma and/or PTSD: Current or past trauma can lead to heightened emotions, particularly in triggering situations. Flashbacks, emotional abuse, gaslighting, and manipulation can also disrupt emotional balance.
• Big life changes: Big life changes such as relationship difficulties, divorce, a new baby, the death of a loved one, or global events like a pandemic or a world crisis can heighten worry, feelings of anxiety, and strong emotions. Life changes can be exciting and happy but still bring added stress. It’s also normal for these events to have an emotional echo, affecting you at random times after the fact, perhaps when someone or something reminds you of what happened.
• High stress: Dealing with stress can affect your mood and emotions, especially when that stress is held in rather than expelled. Stress can take a toll, causing you to feel mentally and physically exhausted. This makes it hard to take care of yourself and can lessen your ability to cope well, causing heightened emotions. 

If you feel more emotional than usual, you could be experiencing one or more of these causes, or even something separate. 

This is why, if you are concerned about your heightened emotions, you should speak with a mental health professional about your symptoms. They will be able to help you identify what’s causing them, then create a treatment plan with you to address them, working to calm your intense emotions.

Why Am I Feeling So Many Emotions at Once?

The answer to this question depends on the individual, their specific situation, and the presence of risk and protective factors. Emotions serve a primary function: to allow a person to experience and process environmental stimuli to “survive” whatever they are experiencing. 

Sometimes, the brain can take in too much—take “too big of a bite” out of the current environment and its stimuli—causing a psychological phenomenon called “flooding.” Flooding occurs when you are either experiencing too much of one emotion or many emotions all at once, making you feel unable to control them. 

Why Am I So Emotional On My Period?

Periods can affect emotions in a variety of ways. Changing hormones is one of the most common reasons for people with periods to experience fluctuating moods and elevated emotions. 

Menstruating people can also have PMDD, which is diagnosed by a medical doctor and can cause severe disturbances in mood, as well as other bodily issues. When these feelings plague you around your period, it’s important to find healthy coping skills and remember that these emotions are not permanent. A great way to establish these coping skills is by talking with a mental health counselor. You can also create a self-care routine and reach out to a friend, partner, or loved one about how you’re feeling so they can provide emotional support.

Why Am I So Emotional During Pregnancy? Why Am I So Emotional After Having a Baby?

Like with periods, pregnant bodies experience a dramatic shift in hormones during and after pregnancy. During this time, birthing parents can feel anxious, depressed, worried, and stressed—like they’re on a roller coaster of emotions. 

Because of this, many people who are pregnant or have just given birth might feel irregularly emotional, or like they can’t control their fluctuating moods. The lack of sleep that often comes during pregnancy and after birth can also affect emotions.

How Do I Fix My Emotional Shutdown?

As with many emotion regulation strategies, one of the primary ways to decrease emotional “shutdown” behaviors is to practice mindfulness—be aware of your emotions and thoughts, as well as how they might influence your behavior and desires.

There are many ways to put this into practice. Be still and present with yourself and your emotions, willing to sit and “marinate” in the distress rather than ignoring it. Notice when you want to avoid a difficult emotion and encourage yourself to “ride the wave” of the emotion instead. These practices will help you discern what might actually be wrong, rather than taking the emotion at face value. By reaching the source, you can then find effective ways to deal with or improve your mood. Professional counseling services can help you initiate and maintain this progress as well. 

However, if this feels too overwhelming to start with, you can try simply being present with an activity, such as going on a walk or a run, lifting weights, baking, doing art, doing yard work, or anything else that allows you to be busy but present.

How Do I Stop Feeling So Emotional? Strategies for Managing Emotions

There are many tactics you can use to help calm yourself and regulate your elevated emotions. Some, you can do in the moment, and others are practices that are good to continue over time. Some examples of these practices are: 

• Taking better care of yourself physically, such as implementing an improved sleep schedule, a healthy and diverse diet, and a regular exercise regimen.
• Seeking care from a medical professional to check your hormones and assess your physical health.
• Seeking professional counseling to help you better cope with thoughts and emotions. One of the best ways to learn to regulate your emotions in short-term and long-term ways is to receive counseling services. In these sessions, you’ll be encouraged to identify stressors and triggers that influence your emotions, as well as barriers to effectively coping with these emotions.
• Practicing healthy coping skills, such as journaling, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing, or meditation. Mindfulness skills help you stay in the present moment and practice awareness, allowing you to tune in to your emotional environment.
• Making a conscious effort to accept your emotions as they come, name them, and know that you are in control of how you deal with them. It can be easy not to notice how you are feeling until it’s too much to hold inside any longer, but acknowledging feelings in the moment will help you avoid big emotional flare-ups in the future.
• Setting self-care boundaries to reduce stress, anxiety, and shifts in mood. For example, say “no” if you can’t or don’t want to do something, practice positive self-talk, and create space to do things that bring you joy
• Not giving too much emotional real estate to things you cannot control.
• Leaning on your support systems to help calm your emotions, rather than withdrawing or self-isolating.

Though not all of these tactics might be for you, one or more of them might help you reconcile with your emotions and help you deal with them in a healthy and productive way. 

Compassion and permission are cornerstones to decreasing distress caused by experienced emotions. As people, it’s in our nature to use shame and guilt to motivate ourselves to create behavioral change. However, this pattern does not create change and, in fact, is a caging behavior in and of itself. 

If your emotions feel like they are overwhelming you and you don’t know what to do, consider talking to a mental health professional as well as doing these practices. A therapist or psychiatrist will be equipped to help you figure out what you’re dealing with and give you the support and assistance you need to get back on your feet.