Do you ever find things so disturbing/upsetting that you have trouble speaking?

VintageBetter

Senior Member
For many years I used to think I was such an oddball that this happens to me sometimes. But sometimes things happen ether in real life or in the news that are so horrible I cannot easily speak about them.

Then a few years ago I learned that there really is such a thing as Highly Sensitive Persons. (HSPs). What Is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?. As I read more about this class of people I thought, "Holy ***t, that's me."

There is also a well-known Bible psalm (77) that speaks of this phenomenon:
3I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. b
4You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.


So, there you have it. A Bible-endorsed legitimate reaction to trauma.

What say you Seniors?
 

For many years I used to think I was such an oddball that this happens to me sometimes. But sometimes things happen ether in real life or in the news that are so horrible I cannot easily speak about them.

Then a few years ago I learned that there really is such a thing as Highly Sensitive Persons. (HSPs). What Is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?. As I read more about this class of people I thought, "Holy ***t, that's me."

There is also a well-known Bible psalm (77) that speaks of this phenomenon:
3I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. b
4You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.


So, there you have it. A Bible-endorsed legitimate reaction to trauma.

What say you Seniors?
Maybe you could benefit with therapy, Vintage. I mean no harm, but you often seem so very angry and amazingly involved with religions.
A Bible-endorsed legitimate reaction to trauma.
Means nothing to me. Sorry. I hate to think of you so very troubled!
 
For many years I used to think I was such an oddball that this happens to me sometimes. But sometimes things happen ether in real life or in the news that are so horrible I cannot easily speak about them.

Then a few years ago I learned that there really is such a thing as Highly Sensitive Persons. (HSPs). What Is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?. As I read more about this class of people I thought, "Holy ***t, that's me."

There is also a well-known Bible psalm (77) that speaks of this phenomenon:
3I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. b
4You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.


So, there you have it. A Bible-endorsed legitimate reaction to trauma.

What say you Seniors?
Highly Sensitive People are sometimes known as Empaths. They are far more sensitive than regular people. They see beyond the social faƧade. They can usually tell when people are lying. Empaths feel the true emotions of others. They often can’t help wanting to dig deeper to find hidden truths. Bright light, strong scents , notice subtle changes in environment, feel others TRuE emotions, get overwhelmed easily and need time alone to recharge batteries, are all part of being a HSP.

Discovering that you are highly sensitive person is the first step in knowing how to care for yourself. You are an ultra sensitive person and it’s not easy being ultra sensitive. You might want to research the word empath too. They are closely related.
 
^^^^^ is a great post. For me it has become a conscious thing. I am starting to realize how inadequate my responses are to the deeply troubling things all around me. The media doesn't help, because sensationalism sells. Other people are hurting and sick and so troubled these days and it seems like there is no end in sight.

Just today I realized my responses to these things is lacking an enormous amount of common sense. But I am too stupid to understand how to talk about it. So, I have decided to go ahead and give it my best shot. No shrinking violet here. Even if we feel like clay Muppets we need to speak up about our view no matter. I just have to get use to that nice feeling of having egg all over my face. :)
 
I came across this program on TV last week. It's called Sensitive: The Untold Story on Freevee.
It's about highly sensitive people. I watched part of it, but I didn't really feel like it pertained to me much.

You might want to check it out...
 
I found this video extremely helpful. It helps me understand that I am possibly someone that has a certain degree of HSP "syndrome". It seems like quite a few people here on the SF are also HSP's. :) Thanks for sharing this video!
You're welcome.
From the little bit I watched I found it to be really informative and easy to follow. It reminded me of a couple of people I know that become really sensitive to things going on in their surroundings, where they may not bother others.
 
Maybe you could benefit with therapy, Vintage. I mean no harm, but you often seem so very angry and amazingly involved with religions.

Means nothing to me. Sorry. I hate to think of you so very troubled!
Have been several times to therapy. Have been looking for a therapist for literally years, but they are so swamped since Covid that either I call them and they do not take my insurance, or I call and the sliding scale fee they want (to see an intern) is too costly for me.

The only ones I have found who actually have openings in their schedules are the expensive ones at Better Help .com. They cost $280 a month and I cannot afford that.

But @RadishRose, you didn't answer my question. Nothing has ever happened in your life that left you speechless?
 
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Highly Sensitive People are sometimes known as Empaths. They are far more sensitive than regular people. They see beyond the social faƧade. They can usually tell when people are lying. Empaths feel the true emotions of others. They often can’t help wanting to dig deeper to find hidden truths. Bright light, strong scents , notice subtle changes in environment, feel others TRuE emotions, get overwhelmed easily and need time alone to recharge batteries, are all part of being a HSP.

Discovering that you are highly sensitive person is the first step in knowing how to care for yourself. You are an ultra sensitive person and it’s not easy being ultra sensitive. You might want to research the word empath too. They are closely related.
From what I have read all HSPs are not necessarily Empaths, but it's probably safe to say all Empaths are also HSPs.

They often can’t help wanting to dig deeper to find hidden truths. - I have only met a couple of Empaths in my life and this was not true of them. They were respectful of the boundaries of others.
I took the test here several years ago: The Highly Sensitive Person and got one of her books.

Mostly I was just relived to see that the way I perceive things IS within the range of NORMAL. That, if I don't laugh at others being in pain, I'm not crazy. That is a normal reaction for an HSP.

Example, why are the "Three Stooges" perceived as funny with all the hitting they do? They are not funny to me. An HSP might say that.

I can think of other times in my life when the people I was with thought it was VERY funny to bully another, punch down, or make fun of the one in the group who just didn't understand what was going on. NONE of that was funny to me.

Then I come away from those workplaces or social gatherings thinking I'm Debbie Downer. No, I'm not Debbie Downer, but that bullying kind of "humor" is not funny to me. I think I just have a lot of empathy for the one being bullied.
 
Not sure I understand the question. If something is so horrible, I don't want to even hear about it or read about it, much less speak about it. I've noticed that some people on forums love to post about the most horrible stuff on the planet. I tend not to read it

I've decided that I'm HSP for decades now. Not sure if that's why I choose not to read about horrible stuff.

Seems rational to me. I don't need horrible stuff roaming around in my head, so I spend as little time on it as possible.
 
  • Avoiding TV shows or movies that are violent.
  • For the most part I avoid them, but will watch a crime drama occasionally if not too graphic and no children are involved.

  • Finding the beauty in almost anything, whether it’s art or something in nature.
  • Yes.

  • Feeling overwhelmed by noises, bright lights and uncomfortable clothes.
  • A big YES to this question, going shopping has always been hard for me because of the noise and clutter, and it's why my home is extremely uncluttered, clean and simply furnished.

  • Feeling anxious.
  • I have anticipatory anxiety about anything at all that is coming up. Company coming is really a worry.

  • Feeling the need for downtime.
  • Always. When I was little and we had company, my mother would sometimes take me apart from the others and have me go, just for a short while, into a little closet where I liked to play by myself. She said I would get so flushed and overly excited I would actually run a fever.

  • Having a rich inner life.
  • Yes, I can be alone for long periods of time just reading or writing. I can stay at home by myself without feeling any urge to go out for weeks on end. The Covid lock down was quite pleasant to me.
The question? Yes, my husband has made me speechless a few times -- and not in a good way.
[The questions are from the OP link.}
 
I am not speechless generally speaking when things happen to me bad or good..... I know, I know, you're all totally surprised aren't you... ?:sneaky::D However that said I've had some terrible things happen to me that rendered me mute about those actual events. for years... decades.... in that I couldn;t even consider talking about it.. wouldn't know how, or have the words...

... but generally speaking I'm not an over sensitive person..in fact everyone who knows me have always said how strong I am... but because that's what they see in me.. they think I can cope with the worst of the worst..whereas they'll tiptoe around another friend who has hysteria when she breaks a nail.... and that sucks, because I hurt as much the next person when bad things happen...
 
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People wrapping themselves in a virtue-cloak of "sensitive" can often be among the most insensitive in their words and actions toward the people around them.

Not being able to recognize and appreciate common humor is another red flag. Becoming agitated when somebody chuckles during conversation isn't "sensitive," it's triggered.

But I don't mean to cast stones, living in my own glass house as we all do.
 
apĀ·oĀ·plexĀ·y

INFORMAL
incapacity or speechlessness caused by extreme anger.
"the decision has aroused apoplexy among environmentalists"
 
The Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

I try to not get revved up about things out of my control, and therefore don't watch or listen to the news. I read or skim certain articles, sometimes headlines only - deciding for myself when I've had enough. I refuse to leave that choice to the talking heads.

I keep my life calm and address relationship missteps as soon as they happen. Whether others forgive me is up to them - I can only keep my portion of it clean.

Due to an often terribly dysfunctional upbringing, I was an unhappy (powerless), short-tempered teen with a 2 inch fuse that I lit with a blow torch. By the time I hit my mid twenties I was well over that.

I don't LIKE being miserable, but I've sure met a lot of people who do. I avoid them like the plague because they are a plague - a plague on other people's joy. The old expression about misery loving company holds true.
 


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