madmax15 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 No doubt I AM a sensitive person. I heard a while ago that sensitive people can pick up on people's emotions more. At my last job there was my boss who was a lady. My fist time working with her I could tell by the tone in her voice(yes i know its weird) that she was being abused quite badly by her ex. And guess what! I found out she was! Does anyone else get this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unstrung Harp Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) Sort of maybe. I tend to be pretty intuitive about people and can read people's moods a lot, though sometimes the mood reading is my anxiety misfiring. And sometimes I can intuit things about people that your average person probably wouldn't. I imagine those two things are related --- being hypersensitive to people and knowing things about people without being told because my satellite dish is always out taking in information. Edited June 7, 2014 by Unstrung Harp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I think I can pick up on people's emotions also, more than others. I am so hyper aware of what is going on in my surroundings that I really feel like I am in tune with others' emotions more. And I seem to be accurate a good amount of times. Sometimes not, but a lot of the time I am. Maybe because I am trying to predict what they'll be like/how they might act based on whatever is going on at the moment? Idk. Or just behaviors I've seen in others or even myself. But I do feel a sense of picking up on things others don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unstrung Harp Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Maybe because I am trying to predict what they'll be like/how they might act based on whatever is going on at the moment? Idk. Or just behaviors I've seen in others or even myself. But I do feel a sense of picking up on things others don't. yes, that's kind of what I was trying to say, but you made more sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Maybe because I am trying to predict what they'll be like/how they might act based on whatever is going on at the moment? Idk. Or just behaviors I've seen in others or even myself. But I do feel a sense of picking up on things others don't. yes, that's kind of what I was trying to say, but you made more sense. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 yes, i am intuitive and emotional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parapluie Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I've heard a few times that people who have been abused (likely as children) are often extremely adept at reading other peoples' emotions. Apparently this is something to do with walking on eggshells all the time and to be able to predict when your abuser is going to hurt you. I don't know if there is any merit to this theory though, too tired to research it right now. In my case, it could very well be true. I grew up with an abusive father and I always had to be vigilant, in case he was going to explode. I remember the feeling of constant tension. I could feel when he was in one if those moods, even if I hadn't seen him or spoken to him all day. I just knew. And I remember the nonverbal cues he would exhibit when he was escalating. In my household, we had the very classic cycle of the tension phase, the explosive phase and the honeymoon phase. After a while, you get pretty good at predicting when the explosion is going to happen. So, I think being abused does make a person very good at reading people. It's probably not true for all abuse survivors though. I don't know if that is the reason I am so sensitive or whether I was sensitive to begin with. I guess we'll never know. I am overly empathetic. I am very emotionally expressive. I can usually tell if someone is holding back. I am extremely intuitive as well. It's a bit like being a psychic, as silly as that sounds. This going to sound totally impossible, but there has been many times that I have felt that someone I love is hurting, and I contact them and, sure enough, they are in distress. So that was really long winded. Oh and I find being sensitive to be draining sometimes. I just feel so damn much. It hurts, it aches, it kills me. When someone I love is in distress, it feels like my heart is breaking and I feel physical pain in my chest, which shoots into my hands. I'm not resentful of the situation or my loved one though. It's just my reality. I can and probably should address this in therapy one day. But, I think that I will always be a sensitive person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 I've heard a few times that people who have been abused (likely as children) are often extremely adept at reading other peoples' emotions. I was bullied A LOT since a kid. I guess that might count as abuse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I've heard a few times that people who have been abused (likely as children) are often extremely adept at reading other peoples' emotions. Apparently this is something to do with walking on eggshells all the time and to be able to predict when your abuser is going to hurt you. I don't know if there is any merit to this theory though, too tired to research it right now. In my case, it could very well be true. I grew up with an abusive father and I always had to be vigilant, in case he was going to explode. I remember the feeling of constant tension. I could feel when he was in one if those moods, even if I hadn't seen him or spoken to him all day. I just knew. And I remember the nonverbal cues he would exhibit when he was escalating. In my household, we had the very classic cycle of the tension phase, the explosive phase and the honeymoon phase. After a while, you get pretty good at predicting when the explosion is going to happen. So, I think being abused does make a person very good at reading people. It's probably not true for all abuse survivors though. Regardless of research this is true for me too. I can't go into much detail (for reasons) but the walking on eggshells and the hyper-vigilance were a complete fucking nightmare to have to deal with every day. I'd wake up in the morning and be worried about stuff before I even got out of bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 I'd wake up in the morning and be worried about stuff before I even got out of bed. Being bullied reminds me of doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unstrung Harp Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) I've heard a few times that people who have been abused (likely as children) are often extremely adept at reading other peoples' emotions. Apparently this is something to do with walking on eggshells all the time and to be able to predict when your abuser is going to hurt you. I don't know if there is any merit to this theory though, too tired to research it right now. In my case, it could very well be true. I grew up with an abusive father and I always had to be vigilant, in case he was going to explode. I remember the feeling of constant tension. I could feel when he was in one if those moods, even if I hadn't seen him or spoken to him all day. I just knew. And I remember the nonverbal cues he would exhibit when he was escalating. In my household, we had the very classic cycle of the tension phase, the explosive phase and the honeymoon phase. After a while, you get pretty good at predicting when the explosion is going to happen. So, I think being abused does make a person very good at reading people. It's probably not true for all abuse survivors though. Regardless of research this is true for me too. I can't go into much detail (for reasons) but the walking on eggshells and the hyper-vigilance were a complete fucking nightmare to have to deal with every day. I'd wake up in the morning and be worried about stuff before I even got out of bed. I didn't have the physical abuse, but I did have the walking on eggshells because of a moody and emotionally punishing parent. My mom tells a story of when I was about 4 and we were driving my father to work, and after she dropped him off she asked me why I had been so quiet, and I said "I never talk when daddy is breathing that way," I guess because it didn't feel safe. I also had a bunch of older siblings whose whims I was subject to, and was a shy kid with some bullying in adolescence, so I think I was always appraising when people were going to turn on me or demand to know why I didn't talk more. Edited June 7, 2014 by Unstrung Harp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 yep, everything Para said. most often, i have an exceptionally good "radar" for anyone who is stressed or tense - i needed that as a child. and yes it can be very very draining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crodentia Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I wouldn't pick up on subtle if it hit me in the face with a building, unfortunately. I'm not good at reading body language or facial expressions. I know sadness, anger, fear, and happiness, but beyond that, someone has to tell me what they're feeling or going through in order for me to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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