Is it all right not to feel any emotion

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EdWood
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30 Mar 2015, 1:26 am

I'm often at a loss for words when people ask me how I feel. I'm usually in a state where I don't feel anything that I can associate with an emotion. I was wondering if it's something to worry about or not.



Sanctus
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30 Mar 2015, 2:23 am

Hi,

I know partially what you mean. I believe this might be alexithymia. If I may quote wikipedia here, 'Typical deficiencies may include problems identifying, describing, and working with one's own feelings, often marked by a lack of understanding of the feelings of others; difficulty distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal; confusion of physical sensations often associated with emotions; few dreams or fantasies due to restricted imagination; and concrete, realistic, logical thinking, often to the exclusion of emotional responses to problems.'
I think I probably have this too, to some degree. It is very common in Aspies.


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lostonearth35
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01 Apr 2015, 10:18 pm

I seem to get too emotional sometimes. If someone asks me how I am on a day where I'm really not fine and in an awful mood, I might answer "fine" anyway, because it's really just a greeting and that's all, but the emotion has a tendency to leak out. Most people do not want to hear me moan and complain about things because they don't care what nonsense is going on in my personal life. Although I might moan and complain, anyway.
Sometimes I feel like it's wrong to feel any emotion, like we should all be like Mr. Spock, or that you can't be an Aspie if you are emotional.



MollyTroubletail
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01 Apr 2015, 11:53 pm

For an experiment, I quit answering "Fine thank you, and you?" and replaced it with simply "Thank you, and you?"

No one noticed! :P They kept on with their reply of "Good thanks" just like if I had responded with "I'm fine thanks"!

But anyway what's the difference between the "bodily sensations associated with emotions" and the emotions themselves, which are supposed to confuse us?



questor
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04 Apr 2015, 12:32 am

Sometimes I feel too much emotion, but other times, I don't seem to feel any emotion, or very little at all, mostly when I am alone. Since I live alone, that's much of the time. I prefer that phase over being too emotional, as strong emotions--my own, and other people's are very stressful to deal with. I don't know how well alexithymia fits me, as I do dream when asleep, and have always had a very busy day dream life when awake.

When you are alone, it doesn't matter if you display emotions, or not, but in dealing with other people, they want the feedback of emotional ques from you. It makes them uncomfortable when they can't "read" you well. People sometimes take a lack of emotional display to mean cold and unfriendly. That sometimes leads to them having negative feelings towards you, and even acting towards you in negative ways. To prevent this, sometimes it is best to try to fake some mild positive emotions, when dealing with people. This is part of why I have a "Howdy Neighbor" policy of waving to neighbors when outside, and I even talk to them if they stop by while I am outside.


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