Emotional intoxication is the result of too much exposure to emotional toxins. The constant stress we live with, anger, shame and guilt drive us away from our emotions and lead us to neglect our inner life.
Understanding emotional intoxication
To understand emotional intoxication, perhaps we should try to put words to the disturbances we feel: an unsettling sense of vulnerability, great impulsiveness and uncontrolled anger are among the signs not to be ignored. Excessive emotionality, emotional instability and abrupt mood swings should also be taken into account. Disorganisation, being overwhelmed: “I’m drowning!”
These states surface when our emotions demand our attention. It is essential to give time to your inner life. Here are a few symptoms of emotional intoxication.
A few symptoms of emotional intoxication
If any of this sounds familiar, know that it matches the words of someone suffering from an intoxication of their emotions. It stems essentially from our inability to devote enough time to cultivating our inner world. Here, in a few examples, are the symptoms of emotional intoxication.
Confused perception
The way you look at the world is no longer rational. It is heightened by the emotions you are feeling. You no longer listen to anyone: you do not listen to yourself and you do not listen to others. As far as you are concerned, it is a waste of time. Even when you are completely in the wrong, you should try to listen to what there is to be said, whatever its source. Edginess, impatience and emotional reactions that spin out of control all come out when you do not know how to handle what is happening.
Your fears come to the surface
Everything that frightens you rises to the surface and takes control of your life. You are reactive and constantly on the defensive. Your self-esteem is scraping the floor and you feel vulnerable in every situation. You feel powerless, your emotions prevent you from assessing the situation: you can recognise neither your own worth nor what you are capable of.
An emotional block leaves you paralysed
When your emotions escape you, when they come out without being rationalised by passing through the cerebral neocortex, this limits your capacity to act and your ability to communicate.
Someone going through emotional intoxication finds it very hard to think before speaking and to take a step back. Every time you react in the heat of the moment, it is your emotions that have a hold on you. They explode along with your impulses. To act that way is to act without being yourself.
You cling to your pain
The fear of letting go, of grieving a situation, reflects a fear of facing the void left by the loss of something. We cling to our pain when we cannot manage to move forward. Things that do not turn out the way you predicted irritate you enormously, and you feel incapable of adapting to the new situation in front of you. You are afraid that if the plan changes, what follows will be disastrous.
Mental laziness
When you are emotionally intoxicated, you can no longer take in what others would like to tell you. Your attention and your memory become selective in spite of yourself. In a conversation, you may even distort what is being said, change its meaning and draw your own conclusions based on your frustrations and your problems.
Considering things from any angle other than your own takes a titanic effort. Without meaning to, you become excessively closed-minded. You no longer know where to draw the strength to face the simplest everyday challenges.
Summary table of symptoms
| Symptom | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| Confused perception | A view of the world turned irrational, an inability to listen to others |
| Fears coming to the surface | Reactivity, a constantly defensive stance, collapsing self-esteem |
| Emotional block | Difficulty thinking before speaking and taking a step back |
| Attachment to pain | Fear of letting go, of grieving, rejection of change |
| Mental laziness | Selective attention, other people’s words distorted |
So what is the solution?
Someone who becomes a prisoner of their emotions is unable to understand things correctly or to interpret them accurately. They may do or say things they will later regret. Faced with these difficulties, you have to try to become aware of the invasion of emotions that is taking place. You have to talk to yourself in order to reason with yourself. Negative emotions must be confronted, not run away from. They signal to us the presence of a problem that requires our attention. It is not pleasant, it is hard, but it is a necessary process. Without it, we cannot grow and evolve into a better version of ourselves.
