[Coccinellidae]

Hey all.

I talked with my good friend yesterday who lives so much far away from me, but already via the internet I felt his sadness and emotions. It's weird.. but like his emotions were carried over me. So there I was – at computer, crying and feeling the sadness that he felt. At the same time – trying to make him happy.
My other friend's grandfather just died recently. I remember when I heard about this from her – I started to cry with her. I was thoughtful and quiet for days – I almost felt like my grandpha died...

I feel like I'm absorbing other people's emotions. When they cry – I cry. When they're happy – I'm happy. When they're sad – I'm sad..

I'm just curious.. can any other INFP relate? Do you sometimes feel like being the mirror of people's emotions as well?

 

[SenhorFrio]

Indeed it happens to me alot. The word for it is empathy. i learned about it in peer counseling. it's like you can understand how someone feels in a situation, even though your not in the situation and you don't feel the same(that would be symparthy). i've always been liek that and it's a bit of a double endged sword, it's useful for when yuo console people, but it also can make you emotionally unstable. like i can't stand seeing people upset it's impossible for me to ignore, and i reminds me of times i feel upset or something.

 

[lopare232]

It depends, I'm about 50/50. A lot of the time, I find empathy getting in the way of me being useful if someone's upset, so it can be annoying. And being a guy (I guess), I tend to keep it in, so...it can get ugly when someone's upset. :\ But I love relishing in people's successes and good news! That always makes my day. :happy:

 

[Nasmoe]

I can't help but cry when someone else cries. I just feel so sorry for them. Like I can feel exactly how they feel.

 

[JerseyDevil]

Yes, this happens a lot.

 

[hood]

Wow wow wow.
I was thinking the exact same thing the other week
I feel like I sometimes, when I'm talking to people, or even just around them, all I do is "mirror" their emotions back at them.

 

[Shuye]

I think you are highly sensitive, and you have a special ability to put yourself directly into the eyes of the person you talk to.:happy:

I believe it does related to our personality, although we can sometimes really misunderstand people, we do have that ability to feel people, and that's why we're such good advisors.

 

[Blueguardian]

I'm not sure if I mirror them. However, I do feel them strongly. If someone is crying I feel very sad, but I don't tend to cry. I may get a little teary eyed, but usually I keep some composure and instead try to comfort them saying, "it will be okay." *pats their back*

 

[starflower]

I can feel another's emotions as my own, also. With my special one, I can feel what she's feeling (emotionally, not physically), even at a distance, when she doesn't tell me. But with anyone else, I can usually feel what they're feeling just by being in the same room. I think this is why crowds overwhelm me. I don't know how to turn this off without shutting my whole self off.

Along the same line, I really can't draw the line between what she is feeling and what I am feeling. I don't know where I stop and she starts. That sounds weird, but I don't know any other way to put it. Unless she tells me, I will wonder why I'm so sad or happy for no reason. The happy, I just enjoy. The sad can really get me down, though.

 

[rowingineden]

I often feel like I'm a sponge, absorbing personalities, experiences, and emotions, as though they are my own, and they become my own, alongside all the rest of me - part of my "mosaic INFP identity"

 

[murderegina]

As SenhorFrio said, it is empathy in action. Empathy is when being utilized during tragic times such as the loss of a friend's loved one or a friend's sadness, can be painful. The empathy surpasses compassion and allows us to let our guard down and truly feel for others as we would ourselves.

It can be felt as a curse, and this curse is show when INFPs become cynical toward the world for it's careless harsh nature. But luckily, this mirror of emotions allows us to feel love very deeply too. It can allow us to learn from others experiences because we go through their pain too, thus gain their wisdom to an extent. This could also explain why from a younger age people view us as "old souls".

 

[Coccinellidae]

As SenhorFrio said, it is empathy in action. Empathy is when being utilized during tragic times such as the loss of a friend's loved one or a friend's sadness, can be painful. The empathy surpasses compassion and allows us to let our guard down and truly feel for others as we would ourselves.

It can be felt as a curse, and this curse is show when INFPs become cynical toward the world for it's careless harsh nature. But luckily, this mirror of emotions allows us to feel love very deeply too. It can allow us to learn from others experiences because we go through their pain too, thus gain their wisdom to an extent. This could also explain why from a younger age people view us as "old souls".

Well put! :wink:

I agree - sensitivity might be our (INFPies) greatest strength and the weakness at the same time and it's definitely like that with me.

Once again it makes me feel good to "meet" people like me. Thank you all for responding

 

[PorlockVisitor]

Oh yes, definitely can understand this!
Sometimes it can be very tiring.

When I'm experiencing a lot emotionally in my own life, I've found I tend to become hard/cold around other people. I think it is my way of maintaining what sanity I have left. If I'm feeling really down and I begin to "absorb" other people's sadness this can be a very bad thing. If I absorb their happiness and I'm feeling down, I become VERY confused... which will usually end up with my negative feelings swelling. Hmm... This little paragraph is saying the opposite of the original post. Normally I do become enveloped by other's emotions, but when I'm going through rough things in my life I close off.

 

[starflower]

As SenhorFrio said, it is empathy in action. Empathy is when being utilized during tragic times such as the loss of a friend's loved one or a friend's sadness, can be painful. The empathy surpasses compassion and allows us to let our guard down and truly feel for others as we would ourselves.

It can be felt as a curse, and this curse is show when INFPs become cynical toward the world for it's careless harsh nature. But luckily, this mirror of emotions allows us to feel love very deeply too. It can allow us to learn from others experiences because we go through their pain too, thus gain their wisdom to an extent. This could also explain why from a younger age people view us as "old souls".

Yes, yes, YES!!! Thank you a billion times! (I guess this post doesn't really add anything to the thread, but just pushing the 'thanks' button wasn't enough.) :happy::happy::happy:

 

[Andy]

This happens to me a lot... It makes it hard to be around people sometimes....

 

[redwitch]

Again, I agree with what most of you have written. I too am like a sponge that soaks up other peoples emotions. I find it hard even to read a newspaper without being transported into the situations reported within, yesterday in a cafe when I read about a man who had murdered his wife and 2 daughters before hanging himself. His wifes mother discovered the bodies at the family home. Until I got to that point I was obviously upset but after I read about the how that poor woman discovered her whole family dead I felt such a wave of panic and horror that I was shaking and found it impossible to keep from crying. Obviously I cannot truly know what she experianced but it felt like I was picking up on an aftershock.

With people I know I tend to pick up on feelings they are trying to hide and since I was a kid even though I was never popular I was always sought out by people who were troubled. Sometimes it feels like I have the ability to absorb negative emotions from people into myself. I don't think this is very healthy though and think it might be better for me if I protected myself a little better.

 

[marshmallowapocalypse]

D: i can't empathise sometimes. then i feel completely inhuman and emotionless and mean.

 

[android654]

Just another reason, on a long list of reasons, as to why people are kept at arm's length.