When Emotions Attack

I have never been able to cope well with stress. Whenever people get upset with me, I either become tearful or really angry, sometimes both. I can't always tell if people are baiting me to make me react badly, or if they just speak without regard for my feelings. Either way, I try to stay calm, but I just can't. I've been told to stop being so sensitive, but my attempts have been unsuccessful. Does anyone have any advice?

It sounds like you're either surrounded by a lot of very RUDE people, or else maybe you do need to develop thicker skin. I don't know the circumstances under which these things happen ~ can you give some examples?

If you feel you're being walked all over, then you DO need to stand up for yourself, and not let people speak rudely to you. Let them know you don't appreciate their being disrespectful to you.

It there's an issue at work, I hope your boss/supervisor doesn't do this in front of everyone else! If so, you might ask him/her than any future "reprimands" be done in private. Then perhaps it won't be so emotional.

If there's other issues, let us know -- maybe we can help. God bless. Hugs, Lee

It's my parents, actually, and I think I'm usually ruder than they are. I just don't know how to stand up to them without seeming rude or disrespectful, so I don't stand up at all. I just shut down and refuse to talk to them. After the initial outburst from all involved, that is. I don't ignore them, but I can't make myself reply either.

Hello, Ultra Darkness. I hope you find a way to improve communicating with your parents. Sometimes writing your feelings down beforehand helps.

It took me a long time, and I still struggle with this, but it is necessary to stand up to people or they simply won't respect you. When I have stuck up for myself, people always back down coz their not sure of themselves in the first place, and they are venting their own frustrations by picking on someone whom they think is weaker. Anyone who is truly balanced and whole never picks on others...never!

I'm saddened that the world is the way it is. I feel for you.

The only person I can stand up to is my brother, and he doesn't respect me at all. We fight all the time, and I never come out feeling like I got anywhere.

Parents can be blind and have their own fears. Don't worry about being over sensitive. Look past the anger and see what you are really feeling.

It sounds like maybe your family is dealing with something they're not prepared for or are ignorant to whatever it is you are going through. My brother used to lock me in a closet when I was a teenager, who knows what he was thinking, but it seemed like no one cared I also had 9 siblings at the time, no one ever helped me. maybe you just need to get out of there, do you have someone you can talk to or tell your family you respect their authority but they are hurting you, without it getting too out of hand? it's your life too, and you should be able to live it -in a good way.If you can't find a good doctor or one close to you, could you talk to your local priest? They aren't all that bad. but at least you could get a grip on how you are feeling objectively

Priest? What priest? There are at least two churches in this town, plus a couple other groups, and none of my family is part of any of them. We are religious, but no blatantly so.