Expressive suppression

Expressive suppression is when we hide or block our emotions from showing on our faces or in our body language. It's kind of like when you don't want your parents to know you're upset, so you try not to cry in front of them. You might hold back tears and try to act normal. Adults do this too, but sometimes it's not just about making someone else comfortable. We might also suppress our emotions because we don't want to show vulnerability or we don't want to make a situation awkward. But holding back can actually make us feel worse in the long run. It's important to be honest with ourselves and others about how we're feeling, even if it's not always easy.