It sounds like you may be an empath (which one particular author calls a "highly sensitive person"). I have some similar abilities/issues, where it feels like I take on another person's emotions at times. This was often an issue with my mother-in-law, who has bad anxiety. I also have anxiety issues, and it can sometimes feel like I would feed off of her anxiety and make my own worse. She's gotten hers more under control now (therapy and meds), so it has less of an impact. But I also can often sense when someone is sad, even when others might not notice (this has been confirmed by asking them), which I feel can be a positive thing at times, because it can lead to my being more caring or sensitive to them. Picking up on my H's anger or stress isn't so good... I haven't yet figured out the best way to handle this (well, with MIL, I used to just limit time spent around her). But just wanted to give you the terms "empath" and "highly sensitive person" to help you search for possible solutions.