Feelings on Full Display
Do you cry easily at sad songs, movies, books, and even commercials? Do your friends often call you "too sensitive"? Do you feel other people's emotions so deeply as if they were your own? If you said yes to any of these questions, you likely wear your heart on your sleeve. Still not sure? See if you relate to these 20 signs that show whether you're extremely in-tune with your emotions.
1. Your Emotions Show on Your Face
While others may be able to hide their true emotions for the sake of others, you can't do the same. That doesn't mean that you readily show your disapproval when you're around someone you're not fond of, but your expressions do often reflect how you truly feel about people and situations.
2. You Take Everything to Heart
You wish you didn't, but you take everything personally. You value honesty, but whenever you get feedback that isn't quite what you expect, whether from your friends or colleagues, you feel their words deeply. You're not the type to recover fast from these negative emotions, either; these feelings sit with you for a while.
3. You Open Up Easily to Others
No matter whether it's a close friend, coworker, or a stranger you just met, you're comfortable opening up to others. You tend to express your vulnerability very honestly—so much so that it often surprises people that you're able to do so.
Bewakoof.com Official on Unsplash
4. You're Easily Affected By Others' Emotions
You're not just extremely in-tune with your own emotions; you're easily affected by how others feel, too. When your friends are sad, you are, too. When they're happy, frustrated, upset, or angry, you feel the same. You mirror people easily, and it's how you're able to connect so deeply in different types of relationships. However, this also means that any negative emotions directed toward you affect you severely as well.
5. You Get Easily Attached
Since you wear your heart on your sleeve and tend to connect deeply with others, you often get easily attached to the people you meet, no matter how long you've known them. This means breakups in relationships—and friendships—often hit you harder than they do for other people.
6. You Care Deeply About the People Around You
Of course, we all care deeply about the people we cherish and love, but when you're someone who wears their heart on their sleeve, your emotional connections with others feel so much more intense. You're someone who will drop everything to support a friend in need, and you're empathetic to the point that you'll carry others' emotions as your own.
7. You're Honest
Wearing your heart on your sleeve doesn't just mean you're easily emotional, but it also means you're fairly honest. You prefer sticking to your authentic self than putting up a different persona that doesn't reflect your true personality. You're upfront about your intentions in relationships, and tend to give everything your all.
8. You're Quick to Apologize & Mend Things
When you know you're in the wrong, you're quick to apologize; you're not one to drag things out until a conflict spirals into something unmendable. You may even take the blame just to patch things up without anyone getting hurt or upset.
9. Rejection & Criticism Hits You Hard
When you face rejection or any type of criticism, you take it very personally. You think that those results, feedback, or words reflect how others truly see you, and you hate disappointing them. Above all, you hate feeling inadequate and not living up to your own expectations.
10. You Form Strong Emotional Connections Fast
Some people might be great at striking up conversations with anyone, but you take it a step further: you don't just make small talk, you form strong emotional connections quickly. Being vulnerable might be a frightening thing, especially around those unfamiliar, but understanding people's emotions (and having them understand yours) is something you think is extremely important in getting to know someone.
Odonata Wellnesscenter on Pexels
11. People Say You're "Too Sensitive"
Half of the time, you find it mildly offensive when people call you "sensitive," but the other half of the time you agree with them. After all, you do tend to cry easily, no matter whether you're listening to a mellow song, reading about tragedy, or watching something heartbreaking.
12. You Trust Too Easily
Not everyone can be vulnerable in front of someone they just met, but perhaps that's one of your strengths (or, to others, maybe your flaw). This also means you trust people too easily, which can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
13. You Can't Set Strict Boundaries
Boundaries are something that makes you feel awkward: you know you should set them, but you also care too deeply about how others feel to enforce strict limits. This means that you often try to be more accommodating than put your own needs first.
14. You Feel Guilty Easily
You don't just apologize easily; you feel guilty easily. You know that some things really aren't your fault and you shouldn't be the one to blame, but because you're so understanding of others' perspectives and emotions, you tend to get easily swayed. Sometimes, it's to your disadvantage.
15. You Struggle to Bottle Up Your Feelings
It's not good to bottle your emotions up, and luckily for you, you're not the kind of person who does that. You're honest and you're not afraid to be vulnerable, which means every time you're feeling down, those emotions spill over.
16. You Can't Pretend You Don't Care
Because you're true to your emotions, you struggle to lie or pretend you don't care. Even if someone upsets you, the second they're hurt or need support, you drop the tough act to make sure they're okay.
17. You're Extremely Giving
You go above and beyond when doing things for others because you understand the importance of helping others and being supportive. No matter if a friend needs a shoulder to lean on or someone to vent with, you're there in a jiffy to make sure they're not alone.
18. Negative Emotions Feel Overwhelming
Whenever you're feeling down, those emotions feel intense and raw. You can't hide them behind a mask for long; you tend to let it out because that's the only thing you can do. You've never understood how (or why) others are able to bottle up their feelings.
19. You Get Anxious Often
You worry a lot about what people think sometimes. Because you don't take rejection and criticism well, you tend to always be truthful and accommodating, but you still get anxious about whether people accept your authentic self. In romantic relationships, you may get jealous easily.
20. You Feel Like You're Responsible for How Others Feel
Because you form such deep emotional connections with others, you sometimes feel responsible for how they feel. This may also make you use their emotions and reactions to gauge how "good" or "bad" a person you are, which can be exhausting and unhealthy.
