When we talk about a hangover, we may not only be referring to what we feel after consuming alcohol. There is also the emotional hangover, a term you have probably heard on more than one occasion. Although both concepts have many similarities in their symptoms, their causes are not shared. What is an emotional hangover?
An emotional hangover is “a state of mental tiredness that has arisen due to an event in which we have become very psychologically involved,” as defined on the Avance Psicologías blog. This can have a negative or positive emotional charge, from an exam to a trip, a wedding or a breakup.
Thus, there is no external trigger like alcohol in the case of a traditional hangover, but rather “all the biochemical processes associated with an emotional hangover are produced by hormones and neurotransmitters that our own body secretes,” they explain. The emotional hangover is caused by the “alert function” in which our mind and body are put in response to certain signals that we should pay special attention to what is happening, something that activates the stress mechanisms.
From Avance Psychologists offer four tips for dealing with an emotional hangover. First of all, we must enhance our self-knowledge. It is common for some day-to-day experiences to overwhelm us emotionally, so it is important that we dedicate time to ourselves and connect with our feelings and thoughts. Thus, we will be aware of the best way to deal with the situations we face.
They also urge us to learn relaxation techniques to calm ourselves, calm ourselves and thus be more aware, so that we can organize our emotions and thoughts. In this regard, another recommendation is to practice activities that channel our attention, such as painting, listening to music or playing sports. With them we will be able to secrete endorphins, clear the mind and will help us transform negative thoughts into more positive ones. “If we modify our way of thinking so that it is not catastrophic, we will help to get out of the state of emotional hangover sooner,” they say.
Finally, going to therapy may be necessary in cases of emotional hangover. They emphasize that “although an emotional hangover is not a psychological disorder, it can be a reason to go to therapy,” especially if you notice that the situation is overwhelming you.
