The Attic We All Carry

In India, many of us are raised on a script that celebrates composure. The stoic father who never cries. The mother who bears everything “silently.” The young woman told to smile through exhaustion, heartbreak, even rage. We call it strength, but often it is repression dressed in dignity.

The truth? Emotions don’t vanish because you lock them away. They linger. They leak. They wait. A family comedy like Aliens in the Attic becomes a neat metaphor: ignore the invaders and chaos grows. Ignore your feelings and the same happens within.

Jung, Freud, and the Cost of Suppression

Jung called repressed feelings the “shadow.” The more we refuse to see them, the more they act from the dark. Freud framed repression as a defense—useful in crisis, costly as habit.

Empirical work links chronic suppression with anxiety, depression, and strained relationships (see references below).

Why Vulnerability Feels Dangerous

We fear that letting sadness, anger, or fear surface will undo us. Culture prizes endurance. But strength isn’t bracing; it’s honest contact with what is. In the film, the children face the aliens anyway—vulnerability doesn’t erase fear; it lets us move with it.

The Subtle Ways We Repress

The polite smile masking irritation. The reflexive “I’m fine” when your chest is heavy. The endless scroll to avoid being with yourself. High-functioning adults often perfect repression: admired outside, flat within.

Facing the Aliens in Our Own Attic

Name It to Tame It

“I feel anxious.” “I am lonely.” Language turns on the attic light and quiets reactivity.

Make Space

Five minutes of journaling. A slow walk. A quiet tea. Or therapy—the steady kind that doesn’t dramatize pain.

Build Support Systems

We heal in company: chosen friends, community, therapist. Support isn’t dependence; it’s human.

Accept Messiness

Feelings are layered and sometimes contradictory. Repression demands tidiness at the cost of truth. Allow the chaos; clarity follows contact.

The Indian Context: Why We Hide More

For Indian women, the attic is often doubly full. We’re socialised to preserve harmony over honesty. The cost is internal: burnout, emotional exhaustion, sometimes illness. Suppressors report higher stress and lower life satisfaction.

Closing the Gap Between Us and Ourselves

Repression may feel like protection, but it can be self-abandonment. The task isn’t to perform emotion, but to meet it honestly. Start where you are. Name one feeling. Give it room. Ask for help if you need it. Vulnerability isn’t the opposite of strength—it is the foundation.