Drowning in Ignored Feelings, Desires, and Ambitions

There was a time when I became an expert at swallowing my truth.

I silenced the voice inside that longed for more. I ignored the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. I convinced myself that my desires could wait—that duty, obligation, and expectations were more important than the fire in my soul.

Until one day, I realized I was drowning.

Not in responsibilities. Not in the demands of life.

I was drowning in everything I had ignored.

The Slow Suffocation of Suppressed Truths

Psychologists call it emotional suppression—the tendency to consciously push away unwanted emotions, needs, and dreams (Gross & Levenson, 1993). We do it to maintain control, to avoid discomfort, to meet societal standards. But suppression isn’t harmless. Over time, it creates internal dissonance—a divide between who we are and who we pretend to be.

Carl Jung referred to this as the shadow self—the parts of us we refuse to acknowledge, the desires we deem unworthy, the ambitions we believe we are not “ready” for (Jung, 1953). And yet, what we suppress does not disappear. It lingers beneath the surface, manifesting as restlessness, anxiety, even resentment.

How many of us are living lives that look good on the outside but feel hollow on the inside? How many of us have convinced ourselves that “now is not the time” while secretly mourning the versions of ourselves we’ve neglected?

When We Ignore Ourselves, We Betray Ourselves

Studies show that emotional suppression is linked to increased stress, burnout, and even physical health issues (John & Gross, 2004). When we repeatedly deny our own needs, we send ourselves a dangerous message: Your feelings don’t matter. Your dreams are not valid. And over time, we start to believe it.

I know this because I have lived it. I have placed my ambitions on the back burner, waiting for “someday.” I have buried my feelings under responsibility, telling myself they were distractions. And I have learned—painfully—that neglecting yourself is not selflessness. It is self-abandonment.

Resurfacing: The Choice to Reclaim Yourself

Here’s the truth: No one will give you permission to rise. No one will hand you back the dreams you buried. If you do not claim them, they will remain submerged beneath the weight of your own hesitation.

So, I ask you—how much longer will you hold your breath?

Because at some point, you have to decide: Will I keep drowning in what I’ve ignored, or will I finally come up for air?

References

• Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1993). Emotional Suppression: Physiology, Self-Report, and Expressive Behavior. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102(1), 95–103.

• Jung, C. G. (1953). Psychology and Alchemy. Princeton University Press.

• John, O. P., & Gross, J. J. (2004). Healthy and Unhealthy Emotion Regulation: Personality Processes, Individual Differences, and Life Span Development. Journal of Personality, 72(6), 1301–1334.