The importance of awareness and understanding of your feelings: alexithymia, mental rigidity and psychosomatics The ability to understand and express your emotions is an important aspect of mental health and well-being. The lack of this skill, known as alexithymia, can lead to rigidity of the mind and body, and can also become a prerequisite for the development of psychosomatic diseases. The word alexithymia comes from the Greek word lexus - this is a feeling, and the prefix A at the beginning is absence, that is, alexithymia is the absence of feelings. The importance of awareness and understanding of your feelings: 1. Emotional Self-Awareness: The ability to recognize, name, and understand one's emotions helps a person better understand themselves, their needs, and desires. This contributes to the development of emotional intelligence and one’s own self-awareness and self-identification.2. Stress Management: Being aware of your feelings allows you to more effectively cope with stress and negative emotions. A person who can identify and express his feelings is less likely to accumulate internal tension. Express in an environmentally friendly way for yourself, without self-destruction, 3. Healthy Relationships: The ability to express your feelings and understand the feelings of others helps you build deeper, more empathic relationships with those around you. This promotes the development of emotional intimacy and mutual understanding. Avoiding communication problems lies precisely in understanding oneself and another. Alexithymia, mental rigidity and psychosomatics: 1. Alexithymia: Alexithymia is a condition in which a person experiences difficulty recognizing and expressing their emotions. People with alexithymia often tend to suppress their feelings, which can lead to a build-up of stress and tension.2. Rigidity of mind and body: The inability to recognize and express one's emotions can lead to rigidity of mind and body. The person becomes less flexible and adaptive, which can lead to increased levels of anxiety and depression. It is difficult for a person to change his activities and the direction of his decisions if he has increased rigidity.3. Psychosomatics: Alexithymia and mental rigidity can become a prerequisite for the development of psychosomatic diseases - diseases associated with the impact of mental factors on physical health. For example, stress accumulated due to unresolved emotions may manifest itself in the form of aches, headaches, or other physical symptoms. Awareness and understanding of your feelings play an important role in mental and physical health. Khanova Svetlana Pavlovna, psychologist-consultant, sign up for a consultation by phone in the Viber WhatsApp messenger + 7 902 516-00-26