Feeling others emotions in the room

Does anyone ever experience an unease around people sometimes in the sense that if they are on edge or stressed or maybe even going through some personal struggles this is passed onto you and makes you unsettled also. They don’t have to say anything directly to you but there’s an uncomfortable atmosphere, like it’s grating on you and polluting the environment around you and your inner calmness becomes electrified with energy you don’t want. I am not sure if this is just an autistic thing or more of a heightened state when around others due to anxiety. Is it also possible it’s a way to avoid any emotional stress yourself by picking up on these vibes and heading for the exit when possible? 

Parents
  • Does anyone ever experience an unease around people sometimes in the sense that if they are on edge or stressed or maybe even going through some personal struggles this is passed onto you and makes you unsettled also.

    A lot of this is because communication is only partially verbal and there are loads of other behavioral and visual cues that you may not conciously notice but have probably been informed subconciously by.

    The way the person looks about, their stance, how they move their hands, nervous movements (flicking hair, chewing nails, frequent eye movements etc) and the behaviour of others around them - all these are clues you may not realise your autistic senses are absorbing.

    Empathy is also quite an autistic trait so picking up on the feeling without realising it will often have you mirroring it to them as well.

    We are complicated things us humans.

Reply
  • Does anyone ever experience an unease around people sometimes in the sense that if they are on edge or stressed or maybe even going through some personal struggles this is passed onto you and makes you unsettled also.

    A lot of this is because communication is only partially verbal and there are loads of other behavioral and visual cues that you may not conciously notice but have probably been informed subconciously by.

    The way the person looks about, their stance, how they move their hands, nervous movements (flicking hair, chewing nails, frequent eye movements etc) and the behaviour of others around them - all these are clues you may not realise your autistic senses are absorbing.

    Empathy is also quite an autistic trait so picking up on the feeling without realising it will often have you mirroring it to them as well.

    We are complicated things us humans.

Children