Every sixth person on the planet is familiar with this condition. How does alexithymia manifest itself and what is it? People with alexithymia are unable to express their feelings in words. Moreover, they themselves do not understand that they are living at a given moment in time. For example, a person cannot distinguish anger from shame or surprise. How does alexithymia manifest itself? Difficulty understanding one’s feelings This is perhaps the most telling sign – a lack of understanding of one’s own feelings and emotions. Everything aggravates situations in which a person feels a whole range of feelings. In this case, he simply cannot separate one from the other and understand what is happening to him. Non-acceptance of his feelings In other words, a person does not like what he feels at all. Most often, he experiences negative emotions that bring him discomfort and pain. Sometimes experiences even frighten a person, forcing him to suppress feelings in order to protect himself from them. Emotions are not reflected in the body. Usually our emotional state echoes our physicality. For example, in moments of shame we blush, in moments of intense joy we begin to breathe more often, in moments of grief we shrink, as if hiding behind ourselves. But for people with alexithymia, things are a little different. Their emotions are not reflected in the body, since the person is not even aware of them. How to deal with alexithymia? First of all, expand your arsenal of emotions. Learn to describe your own experiences not briefly and succinctly, but in detail. Instead of “I feel great,” say “I feel joy and anticipation and a little excitement.” The main thing is that your words convey the essence of the experience in as much detail as possible. Give the body freedom Often the reason that the body does not react to emotions in any way is stiffness. Let your body react the way it wants. Let it go and just watch what happens. Physical practices aimed at relaxing muscles help a lot with this. Listen to yourself more often, do not try to “adapt” your own sensations to stereotypes and patterns of perception. Your goal is to get as close to your inner self as possible.».