One morning, you get up not feeling like doing your regular chores, and not as active as you would be on a normal day. No, you didn’t drink last night, nor are you ill. The reasons need not be current, huge, and as grave as the emotional buildup you experience. The reasons could be yesterday’s events or the day before.
A hangover is understood as a symptom of dehydration, dizziness, and sound sensitivity, which is because of excessive alcohol intake. When similar experiences occur without any alcohol intake, it might mean that one is suffering from an emotional hangover.
What Is An Emotional Hangover?
Dr. Judith Orloff, M.D., a psychiatrist and the author of The Empath’s Survival Guide describes it as “an energetic residue” that remains after an encounter with an “energy vampire”- a person who drains your mental and emotional energy, whether deliberately or not.
While ’emotional hangover’ isn’t a clinical term, Tara Quinn-Cirillo, a chartered psychologist, notes that many people can relate to feeling emotionally and physically exhausted after intense interactions. She explains that such encounters can sometimes leave us drained.
Therapist and coach Megan Bruneau explains that it’s normal to feel sad or ashamed the day after something intense. She compares this to “vulnerability hangovers,” where you might feel anxious or regretful after opening up about your emotions, needs, or desires.
Also, Orloff notes that empaths, highly sensitive people, or the ones dealing with social anxiety are the ones who experience emotional hangovers often. In their case, minor hiccups in social or personal lives, get amplified and affect them more than others in the same situation.
According to Felicity Baker, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Ultimate Resilience, unlike alcohol-related hangovers, which take a few hours to set in, emotional hangovers can start almost immediately and can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days.
Dr Baker explains that stressful situations trigger the body’s fight-or-flight response, leading to an adrenaline and cortisol surge. While physical symptoms like a racing heart may fade quickly, emotional reactions can linger longer. Some people are more susceptible to emotional hangovers, especially those with past trauma, existing emotional issues, or introverted personalities because their baseline stress levels are already elevated.
Kristen Guest, a licensed social worker, points out that emotional hangovers highlight the connection between our bodies and minds. She explains that if our mind is overwhelmed or overstimulated, our body will certainly react. Nothing occurs in isolation.
What Can Lead To Emotional Hangover?
Emotional hangovers can stem from different stressful situations, like having a disagreement, dealing with a tough day at work, facing an unexpected financial challenge, or even watching a deeply moving film.
Dr Quinn-Cirillo explains that both positive and negative experiences can affect you, not just because of what happens, but also because of how intense and long-lasting it is. In social situations, it’s not just the event itself that matters, but how much effort you put into engaging and processing the interaction.
Vox reports the experience of a flight attendant based in New York, “I feel emotions really deeply – when I get into a fight with someone, I am torn up about it. My partner, by contrast, is like, ‘Well they’re wrong, so whatever.’ For people like me, emotional hangovers are a thing because you spend so much energy just processing the event.”
Deb, 47, from Lewes in East Sussex, tells Women’s Health, “Every week I attend therapy, and I’m really looking at some deep, dark stuff. I feel absolutely emotionally drained afterwards, to the extent that it really does feel like a physical hangover.”
Encounters with strangers also for instance, dealing with angry clients or a grumpy cab driver, can lead to overwhelming emotions. Processing and overanalyzing such basic situations in life can be emotionally draining. So far one may not want to get out of bed the next day. Emotional hangovers can be deeply entrenching as they affect mental and physical well-being.
Read More: “Worst Day Of My Life, First Time Going To Sleep Hungry;” Reddit Post Sparks Emotional Responses
What Can You Do About It?
Experts have suggested various ways to cope with the emotional disturbances in life. Self-reflection and meditation can be a way to relieve stress. Exercise or a walk in fresh air can also have a better impact on the physiological symptoms of a hangover.
Having healthy food and drinking a good amount of water can also benefit in cases of emotional hangover. Besides meditation and exercise, people who feel drained because of social interaction can try journaling their thoughts. Also, the therapists note that people experiencing an emotional hangover should be kind to themselves and take their time to feel better.
Emotional hangovers illustrate the profound connection between our mental and physical states. Just as physical hangovers arise from excessive alcohol intake, emotional hangovers stem from intense emotional experiences, whether positive or negative. The effects can be just as draining, impacting both our mental clarity and physical well-being.
Recognizing the signs of an emotional hangover and understanding their origins can help individuals better manage their emotional health and resilience.
To address and alleviate the effects of an emotional hangover, a combination of self-care practices can be beneficial. By being mindful of their emotional needs and incorporating these strategies of meditation and exercise, individuals can navigate the challenges of emotional hangovers more effectively and support their overall well-being.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Money Control, Firstpost, Hindustan Times
Find the blogger: Katyayani Joshi
This post is tagged under: Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health, Self Care, Emotional Hangover, Mind Body Connection, Stress Relief, Mental Health Awareness, Empaths, Stress Management, Healthy Mind, Wellness Journey, Therapy, Emotional Health, Personal Growth, Self Reflection, Mindfulness, Mental Resilience, Emotional Support, Wellbeing, Healthy Living
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