No.1 Compounding Guilt
Guild can come from anywhere, from your career, your friends, your family. But if you’re emotionally numb, the greatest source of your guilt is usually yourself. Guilt is the most common sign of emotional numbness. When you feel empty and disconnected, you just think about how much your behavior changes. Your productivity suffers, your social skills dwindle, and your confidence steadily declines. It feels like you’re letting everybody down all the time, like the world has expectations that you’ll never live up to. With these expectations looming over your head, you may feel like others are disappointed in you. But above all, you may feel disappointed in yourself. You want to be productive and social and confident, you want to live up to those lofty expectations. So, each time you fail that feeling of guilt, grow stronger and stronger. Eventually, your guilt becomes so powerful it builds upon itself. In other words, you feel guilty for feeling guilty. Shame create shame, guilt creates guilt. And suddenly, you are caught in a vicious cycle that numbs your emotions even further. So, if your life is plagued by guilt, you may be emotionally numb. But you’re not doomed to feel this way forever. Emotional numbness is a strong overwhelming state of mind, but over time, you can escape, you can unravel the layers of self-criticism and shame that holds you down. You can overcome your guilt and feel satisfied, just the way you are.
numbness n.麻木；麻痹
dwindle v.（逐渐）减少，变小；使缩小，使减少
steadily adv.逐渐地，稳步地
declines vi.下降；衰退；拒绝（decline 的第三人称单数）
live up to 达到，实现
above all 最重要的
lofty 高耸的，崇高的
caught v.捕捉（catch 的过去分词）
vicious adj.凶险的，会造成伤害的；恶性的
plagued v.困扰（plague 的过去分词）；折磨
overwhelming adj.难以抗拒的，令人不知所措的；巨大的，压倒性的
unravel v.（使）解开，（使）松开
self-criticism n.自我批评
satisfied adj.满意的，满足的；确信的，信服的
No.2 Losing Taste
In a 2019 study from the journal of Psychology Research And Behavior Management, researchers discovered a strange phenomenon. When struggling with emotional numbness, many people lose their sense of taste. Your favorite meals become bland and boring, sweets and snacks may taste like cardboard. But does emotional numbness change your sense of taste? It turns out, emotional numbness doesn’t just affect your emotions, it also diminishes physical sensations, like eating a tasty meal. Normally, a delicious dinner fills your brain with feel-good hormones, spicy foods can release endorphins, yogurts and meats can produce dopamine. The food you eat has a major impact on the way you feel, but the way you feel also impacts the food you eat, not only does emotional numbness ruin your favorite foods, it also damages your diet. Many people who struggle with emotional numbness eat very unhealthy diets, because their favorite meals, well, they just don’t satisfy them like they used to. Taste isn’t the only sensation gold by emotional numbness, your sense of smell can get weaker, colors appear faded and dull, sounds may seem quiet or muted. Even your sense of touch may change. All right, let’s say you enjoy getting a massage once a month. If you’re feeling emotionally numb, you may not enjoy those massages the way you used to. Your skin may feel less sensitive, and you may have trouble relaxing. If you think your emotionally numb, keep your emotional and physical sensations in mind, because both of them display important signs of emotional numbness.
Losing Taste 失去的味道
bland adj.平淡的，枯燥乏味的
sweets 糖果
snacks 零食
cardboard 纸板
diminishes （使）减少，缩小；减损（diminish 的第三人称单数）
sensations n.感觉，知觉
spicy adj.辛辣的；刺激的
endorphins n.[生化] 内啡肽；脑内啡；内腓呔；安多芬
yogurts n.酸奶，一罐酸奶
dopamine n.多巴胺（神经细胞产生的一种作用于其他细胞的化学物质 ）
satisfy v.使满意，使满足；满足（要求、需要等）
massage n.按摩，推拿
No.3 Daily Indecisions
Decisiveness is a difficult skill to learn. It’s easy to criticize your choices, to wonder whether or not you made the right move. When faced with a difficult decision, many of us panic, scramble, and rush. You get wrapped up in your own doubts and insecurities. You may think of yourself as indecisive, but what about all the little decisions that you make every day? In the morning, you chose what to wear; while driving, you chose when to turn; for lunch, you chose what to eat. You confidently make dozens of small decisions on a daily basis. But if you’re emotionally numb, these tiny choices feel almost impossible. Indecisiveness is one of the most frustrating parts of emotional numbness. It seems like there’s no right answer. Around every corner is another obstacle. Every outfit just looks wrong. Every meal sounds unappetizing. It becomes harder and harder to make the small decisions that fuel your everyday life. But why are these small decisions so hard? Because you lack the confidence to empower your own choices. You’ve lost faith in your own judgment. But just like every other item on this list, indecision is fixable, you can rebuild your confidence and learn to believe in yourself again.
Indecisions n.优柔寡断；犹豫不决
decisiveness 果断
criticize 批评
panic n.恐慌，惊慌
scramble n.（因赶任务出现的）忙乱，乱作一团
rush n.匆忙，赶紧
wrap v.包，裹，包装；用（手臂、指头或腿）围紧
tiny 微小的
frustrating 令人沮丧的
outfit 衣服
unappetizing adj.引不起食欲的
No.4 Intentional Isolation
Have you been avoiding your friends and family? Are you isolating yourself from the outside world? This is a very common sign of emotional numbness. When feelings of shame and emptiness take over, we impulsively hide from the world. You may retreat into solitude and isolation, because interacting with other people may sound difficult, scary, or just pointless. Whether you’re an introvert or extroverts, social interactions are important for your mental health. It doesn’t matter if you like big gatherings or one-on-one conversations. It’s very important to interact with others, especially your loved ones. Not only does it relieve stress, but social interactions give you a break from your own brain. Sometimes, your brain is your worst enemy. You may get trapped in a vortex of toxic thoughts, and you may not be able to escape your own. That’s why you need other people to help you, support you and guide you back to a healthy state of mind. But what happens when you’re emotionally numb? You may feel imprisoned by those same toxic thoughts, shame and guilt drive you deeper into isolation. It gets worse and worse until you stop socializing altogether. Now, most people don’t realize how isolated they’ve become. Everyone has different habits and preferences, some people enjoy being alone for days on end, others need some sort of social interaction on a daily basis. It all depends on your personality. To figure out what works best for you, think back to the happiest time in your life. How often did you see your friends and family? How much time did you spend socializing? Treat this happy period like a social baseline, compare your life now to your life then, if there’s a huge difference, you may be isolating yourself because you may be emotionally numb.
Intentional Isolation 有意的隔离
sign 征兆
emptiness n.空虚；空，无；空地；不真诚
impulsively 冲动地
retreat v.（军队）撤退；后退，离开；（水、雪或土地）范围缩小；隐退，躲避；悔棋；改变意见，改变看法；（股价）下挫，下跌；向后倾
solitude n.独居，独处，孤独
interacting 互动
scary adj.骇人的，恐怖的
pointless 无意义的
relieve stress 缓解压力
get trapped in 被困在某处
vortex n.[航][流] 涡流；漩涡；（动乱，争论等的）中心；旋风
imprisoned adj.被封印，被囚禁的
socializing n.交往，交际
altogether adv.完全地；总共；总之
No.5 Total Disconnected
Emotional numbness is an all encompassing experience which changes your relationship to your body and your sense of self. Imagine your body and brain like a house, when you feel happy, your house is packed with furniture, paintings and trinkets that embody you as an individual. You feel at home in this space because your house resembles you, you recognize yourself inside of it, and that recognition gives you comfort, closeness, and confidence. Oh, but what happens to your house when your emotionally numb? The furniture starts to fade away, the paintings disappear off the walls. Before you know it, you’re staring at an empty house full of empty rooms. Your house doesn’t feel like a home anymore and you become disconnected. Emotional numbness creates this unnerving effect for countless people. As your emptiness grows, you feel more and more disconnected from your identity. You abandoned in the passions and hobbies that you once loved. You may barely recognize your own reflection. If you’re losing track of yourself, physically or mentally, you may be emotionally numb.
encompassing adj.包含的，包容的；环绕的
trinkets 小玩意儿
resemble v.像，与……相似
closeness 亲密
unnerving adj.使人紧张不安的
reflection 倒影
No.6 Lacking Labels
Can you describe the way you’re feeling? I mean if you had to put your feelings into words, what would you say? Many people struggling with emotional numbness just can’t identify their emotions. You know something’s wrong, you know you’re not acting like yourself, but you just can’t put your finger on exactly what’s happening. That’s because emotional numbness is hardly an emotion at all. Normally, you can label your emotions, because they come in strong, identifiable waves. When you’re angry, you know you’re angry; when you’re sad, you know you’re sad. But emotional numbness doesn’t look like any of your typical emotions. Instead, it’s an absence of strong feelings both good and bad. Because it’s so hard to label your feelings, communication becomes a real challenge. All right, let’s say your friend or partner asks you what’s wrong, you may have no clue what to tell them. Are you sad? Do you feel guilty? Do you feel empty inside? You may not know how to describe your emotional state to your loved ones, and that only adds to your frustration and shame. But this confusion is normal and it’s common. If you have trouble labeling your feelings, you may be struggling with emotional numbness.
put your finger on 找到确切原因
frustration n.懊恼，沮丧
shame n.羞耻，羞愧
No.7 Sitting On The Sidelines
This is one of the most frustrating signs of emotional numbness. You struggle with your motivation, inspiration, and work ethic. You’re constantly irritated with yourself, feeling guilty about your own laziness, but above all, you feel like life is quickly passing you by, and it seems like there’s nothing you can do about it. This feeling is often equated to sitting on the sidelines. While the rest of the world is playing the game, you’re stuck on the bench. You lose that sense of action and controlling your life. The world is running, working, and competing, but you feel like you’re sitting in the background, doing nothing, going nowhere. This discouraging feeling is common among people who are emotionally numb. Your brain creates the illusion that the world is passing you by, it convinces you that everyone is doing better than you are, than everyone is moving faster than you are. But this feeling is all in your head. It’s the powerful byproduct of guilt, shame, and fear. Together, these negative emotions blend into an isolating and self-destructive mindset. The truth is, life unfolds differently for everyone. Careers move it different paces. Some people grow faster than others. There’s no right or wrong way to live your life. So, don’t listen to your own aggressive expectations. The world isn’t passing you by， you’re not sitting on the sidelines. But if you feel like you are, you may be emotionally numb.
frustrating adj.令人懊恼的，令人沮丧的
irritated adj.恼火的，急躁的；疼痛的，发炎的
above all 最重要的是
stuck on the bench 被困在板凳上
byproduct n.副产品
blend 混合
isolating adj.孤立的；绝缘的
self-destructive 自毁的；表现自杀欲望的
mindset n.观念模式，思维倾向
unfolds 展开，打开
aggressive 咄咄逼人的
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