[Nix]

Do you ever feel like you have too many strong emotions and they just drag you around? I am frustrated with myself because I feel like everything I encounter or everyone I encounter I have strong emotional reactions to, and it'd difficult to just go about my day and my life without being completely absorbed in whatever particular feeling I am feeling, whether positive or negative. I want to go out and experience life and not just sit in my house doing nothing forever, but the more interactions I have with people, the more I feel like I'm out of control internally.

[MickeyCheeky]

I can relate. I sometimes feel very overwhelmed. In fact, I'm feeling overwhelmed right now.

[seeker33]

I'm exactly the same. I feel strong emotions, both positive and negative. When I enjoy a meal, I REALLY enjoy it, when I have a new hobby (which lasts a few weeks before I forget it and find something else) I'm completely immersed in it, researching and excited! When I feel bad about rain, I really do feel bad, when I see a tree being cut I want to cry.

These feelings come and go quickly and can rapidly improve or get depressed in a second.
It really does get overwhelming sometimes! I believe my case is not extreme enough for medication, it's just being sensitive and having an intense inner life.

[Marylin]

You may be an empath. Check out the work of Dr Judith Orloff........

Amazon.co.uk: dr judith orloff

[Jason Frederick]

Originally Posted by seeker33

I'm exactly the same. I feel strong emotions, both positive and negative. When I enjoy a meal, I REALLY enjoy it

Same, only my hobbies last me a long time and when I give up my hobbies I want to cry for a few days. I don’t like it when people call people like us “Too sensitive” and use that as an excuse to be rude.

[seeker33]

Originally Posted by Jason Frederick

Same, only my hobbies last me a long time and when I give up my hobbies I want to cry for a few days. I don’t like it when people call people like us “Too sensitive” and use that as an excuse to be rude.

Exactly. High sensitivity has evolutionary value because highly sensitive individuals were more aware of dangers and changes in the environment. There's a reason why nature produced this type of personality.
It's both a gift and a curse, but definitely it is not a character flaw.

[luvyrself]

Originally Posted by seeker33

Exactly. High sensitivity has evolutionary value because highly sensitive individuals were more aware of dangers and changes in the environment. There's a reason why nature produced this type of personality.
It's both a gift and a curse, but definitely it is not a character flaw.

—-I call myself an alert dog. My sig other doesn’t notice anything, so thank god one of us is like this. I have saved his life many times on healthcare issues. But yes, sometimes there is sensory overload. I am trying to be strict w myself to preserve balance. Thanks for bringing this up. Psych Central is so invaluable for all these insights!

[My Paper Heart]

My intense emotions are one of my Borderline Personality Disorder tendencies and I HATE it. I don't get the basic emotions, I get overly intensified versions.

Angry --> Enraged
Sad --> Melancholy, as if there's no hope
Fear --> Complete and utter terror
Disgust --> Repulsion

I read an article on TheMighty.com that perfectly describes how my emotions work to a T: "How Emotions Are Like an Open Ocean with BPD" (The article's name is a hyperlink to the article)

Something new with me -- it happened last week -- was an intense emotion I can't identify that had me sobbing hysterically. I have no idea what caused it either so the whole experience was utterly confusing.

I’m a logical type person and my emotions don’t show very much. Still waters run deep... I am very sensitive but I don’t express it or show it very well. It’s frustrating because it’s hard for me to connect with others and people misunderstand me. There is always a lot going on emotionally for me. I’m like a duck on water... calm on the surface and paddling like mad underneath.

((((((Nix))))))