Feel Everything Intensely: People “emotional Sponges “

There are people who are by nature very sensitive and others who under certain circumstances become extremely perceptive and vulnerable. In both cases, there is an effect that makes them behave like “emotional sponges” . In other words, as agents that easily absorb emotions from the environment.

Although in principle this state of “emotional sponges” gives them a certain advantage over others, given their great capacity for perception, it is also a factor which leads them to overload themselves emotionally. It is therefore not uncommon for them to end up being victims of extreme tension and constant stress, which is very difficult to dispel.

People who are “emotional sponges” end up being very easily overwhelmed. What is a virtue easily becomes a burden. Unfortunately, it’s also common for others to make them the recipients of their own overload, given their empathy and receptivity.

People who are “emotional sponges”

People who are “emotional sponges” have certain identifying characteristics. In general, they are very receptive to the emotional state of other people individually, but also to the subjective atmosphere of groups.

The main characteristics of these people are as follows. They are :

• Intuitive : They don’t need someone to tell them how they feel in order to realize if they are right or wrong. They grab it easily
• Endowed with excessive empathy: not only are they able to put themselves in other people’s shoes, but they do so in an extreme way. That is, they come to feel other people’s emotions as their own.

• Persuaded to be responsible for the well-being of others: they think in particular that they should help others when they feel bad. Otherwise, they get sick of themselves
• Seeking solutions to other people’s problems: Their excessive empathy and ownership of other people’s pain causes them to spend a lot of time thinking about how to solve other people’s problems
• Overwhelmed by the emotions of others: it is very difficult for people who are “emotional sponges” to sense if they know the suffering of others. They literally appropriate these negative emotions
• Attracted to toxic people: it is easy for them to find themselves surrounded by people with problems, or those who seek to emotionally exploit others

• The first to give priority to others: these people act as if there is a mandate that leads them to harm their own well-being, based on the well-being of others

A burden too heavy to carry

People who are “emotional sponges” can hurt themselves because of their too much sensitivity, empathy and solidarity. More often than not, from an early age, they have developed the habit of taking on the problems of others, even their own parents. They are asked to understand and help, simply because they have the facility and the will to do so.

The problem is, without realizing it, these sensitive people end up forgetting themselves, mostly driven by the selfish desires of others. They can only use them or make them visible when they are helping.

Thus, extreme sensitivity and enormous empathy lead them to adopt the role of eternal “emotional regulators”. The cost can be very high, as they can reach a point where they become invisible to themselves, thus becoming potential victims of emotional abuse.

“The absorption” of neuroses

A very emotionally sensitive person can have their identity blurred precisely because of the great influence others have on their emotions. An example better illustrates this situation. A mother tells her child that he is numb because he does not call often.

However, if you look at the situation in detail, things can be the exact opposite of what the mother is saying. Perhaps it is she who is insensitive to her son, blaming him for his own limits. This type of behavior corresponds to a defense mechanism called “projective identification”.

First of all, what an “emotional sponge” person can do is become aware of their exposure to toxic behavior. Then, you have to learn to manage the feeling of guilt, to digest it and to prevent it from governing their actions. The solution is also to learn to value your own feelings, setting limits for others when necessary.

Our thoughts

There are differences between introverts and hypersensitive people and there are also extroverts who are very sensitive …