Expression Deficiency
Author: 21 years old, Yemen
It was during the coronavirus outbreak; we were all locked in the house with heavy studies. I was among my family yet away from my parents. I was used to going in and out so staying home forcefully was very distressing. I am reticent and I do not like hurting others even if it is in the expenses of hurting myself. Hence, I used to hold stuff inside my heart especially during the lockdown, so I do not hurt my family and that was what bothered me the most. I used to stay silent on what annoys me, bear with the bully, and never express my feelings so I do not ruin the mood for my family or hurt them. Even when I am drowned in problems, I would not tell my mom, so she does not get worried. Day by day, incidents and stuff accumulated inside my heart along with the university and the lockdown stress, I got tired mentally. I was unsatisfied about everything in the house and I hated the house and everybody around me. I started forgetting a lot, my hair got destroyed and I was almost depressed. I could not study nor do anything, I used to stay on my bed to sleep, yet not being able to. I decided to go to a psychologist, where together we started emotion regulation therapy and meditation. It took me a month of working on my self-expressing skills and I felt much better. At the same time, lockdown was over, so I started going to the library and got caught up with my studies. I carried on with the meditation techniques the psychologist gave me and thankfully I felt way better.