--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we shut down certain feelings, it's…" description: "\"“When we shut down certain feelings, it's easy to lose our natural relationship with them. But having feelings is an essential part of being human. The..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/allyson-dinneen-73095_emotions_when-we-shut-down-certain-feelings-it-s_1858591.jpg" --- # When we shut down certain feelings, it's easy to lose our… ![“When we shut down certain feelings, it's easy to lose our natural relationship with them. But having feelings is an essential part of being human. They are the essence of who you are as a person, and without them it's hard to know important things about yourself like: who you are, what kind of…” quote by Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/allyson-dinneen-73095_emotions_when-we-shut-down-certain-feelings-it-s_1858591.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/allyson-dinneen-73095_emotions_when-we-shut-down-certain-feelings-it-s_1858591.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/allyson-dinneen-73095_emotions_when-we-shut-down-certain-feelings-it-s_1858591.jpg) > ““When we shut down certain feelings, it's easy to lose our natural relationship with them. But having feelings is an essential part of being human. They are the essence of who you are as a person, and without them it's hard to know important things about yourself like: who you are, what kind of relationships you want, what you want to do for work or purpose, what gives your life meaning. All of these things require having access to your feelings.”” [Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suppressing emotions blocks self‑knowledge; feeling emotions is essential for understanding identity, relationships, purpose, and meaning. **In simple terms:** Ignoring feelings hides who you are. Key Takeaway Allow emotions to surface for self‑insight. Themes emotion self‑knowledge authenticity purpose Mood empathetic inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - journaling - relationship building - career planning Key Concepts psychology humanism mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you currently feel about your emotions? - What steps can you take to reconnect with them? A Different Perspective Cultural norms may discourage emotional expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access-feelings-232109/) [Certain Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-feelings-1241676/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Feel-your-feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-your-feelings-62665/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feelings Essential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-essential-2487851/) [Having Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-feelings-379136/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Knowing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-yourself/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-meaning/) ## Related quotes > [“Let go. Stop fighting. It’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to feel lost and unsure. Keep pushing forward. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-burgunder/let-go-stop-fighting-it-s-okay-to-struggle-it-s-okay-to-be-sad-it-s/) [Brittany Burgunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-burgunder/) > [In one's youth, one has tremendous access to one's feelings. And as one gets older, some of those feelings kind of drift away. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/in-one-s-youth-one-has-tremendous-access-to-one-s-feelings-and-as-one/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Poetry connects us to what is deepest in ourselves. It gives us access to our own feelings, which are often shadowy, and engages us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-connects-us-to-what-is-deepest-in-ourselves-it-gives-us-access/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [It was only as I wrote about it that I began to find paths of access to feelings that were intolerable to me then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-only-as-i-wrote-about-it-that-i-began-to-find-paths-of-access/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [It was only as I wrote about fear that I began to find paths of access to feelings that were intolerable to me then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-only-as-i-wrote-about-fear-that-i-began-to-find-paths-of/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [Whatever it is that I feel, I express it! I am free with my joy, my laughter, my pleasure, my pain, and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-elise/whatever-it-is-that-i-feel-i-express-it-i-am-free-with-my-joy-my/) [Kimberly Elise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-elise/) > [“To get back to the person I am, I had to reject so much of who I was told that I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-dinneen/to-get-back-to-the-person-i-am-i-had-to-reject-so-much-of-who-i-was/) [Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/) > [I start crying when certain things come up, certain memories, certain feelings, and it's intense. But I think it's good for me - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/i-start-crying-when-certain-things-come-up-certain-memories-certain/) [Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/) > [Your brain knows what's happening, and what's fake, and what's not. Sometimes, the act of engineering certain feelings is physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/your-brain-knows-what-s-happening-and-what-s-fake-and-what-s-not/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [“Fucking fixes nothing, but certain feelings are unavoidable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kidd/fucking-fixes-nothing-but-certain-feelings-are-unavoidable/) [Kris Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kidd/) > [“Things that have form will all disappear. But certain feelings stay with us forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/things-that-have-form-will-all-disappear-but-certain-feelings-stay/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“It’s very difficult sometimes to put into words one’s feelings, especially when one is not quite certain what those feelings are. (Catherine)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-wicklund/it-s-very-difficult-sometimes-to-put-into-words-one-s-feelings/) [Cynthia Wicklund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-wicklund/) > [The uncertainty of certain feelings is the best way to break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yannick-heywang/the-uncertainty-of-certain-feelings-is-the-best-way-to-break-them/) [Yannick Heywang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yannick-heywang/) > [Sometimes, when you crave certain feelings, you'll trick yourself into thinking the other person is something other than what he apears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/sometimes-when-you-crave-certain-feelings-you-ll-trick-yourself-into/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I think that there are certain feelings and things you can convey in a simple form that people can see and understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-think-that-there-are-certain-feelings-and-things-you-can-convey-in/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) ## More by Allyson Dinneen > [“No matter who you are, life is desperately hard sometimes. People we love die, and the longer we live, the more we find that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-dinneen/no-matter-who-you-are-life-is-desperately-hard-sometimes-people-we/) [Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/) > [“You might not WANT to feel needy. But your nervous system is extremely evolved to drive you to seek safe emotional connection with others--and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-dinneen/you-might-not-want-to-feel-needy-but-your-nervous-system-is-extremely/) [Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/) > [“To get back to the person I am, I had to reject so much of who I was told that I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-dinneen/to-get-back-to-the-person-i-am-i-had-to-reject-so-much-of-who-i-was/) [Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/) [Explore all 4 Allyson Dinneen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/) ## More Emotions quotes > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [On stage, you can bring all those strong emotions that you don't have the opportunity to live. You don't want to die for love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/on-stage-you-can-bring-all-those-strong-emotions-that-you-don-t-have/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [You will never fully understand how much you mean to me, because there are no amount of words that can begin to describe my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-fully-understand-how-much-you-mean-to-me-because-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) [Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mind has trouble processing all the emotions I feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mind-has-trouble-processing-all-the-emotions-i-feel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“When love carries us away on its brittle wings, we are too intoxicated to comprehend its power. We just want to soar and feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balroop-singh/when-love-carries-us-away-on-its-brittle-wings-we-are-too-intoxicated/) [Balroop Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balroop-singh/) > [God, help me to focus on Truth instead of the trial. Help me to give thanks instead of giving into fear. Help me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-daugherty/god-help-me-to-focus-on-truth-instead-of-the-trial-help-me-to-give/) [Whitney Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-daugherty/) > [Love is an ocean of emotions entirely sorrounded by expensee..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-an-ocean-of-emotions-entirely-sorrounded-by-expensee/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) [Browse all 4,415 Emotions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we shut down certain feelings, it's easy to lose our natural relationship with them. But having feelings is an essential part of being human. They are the essence of who you are as a person, and without them it's hard to know important things about yourself like: who you are, what kind of relationships you want, what you want to do for work or purpose, what gives your life meaning. 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