When people say that they "feel different" to other people..

Post Reply New Topic

What does this mean. How do you know if you feel different to other people.

Maybe they're more squishy.
Maybe they're less.

Ha yeah

More seriously, they're always guessing, either based on what they've heard from others, or based on what society tells them is normal.

All jokes aside I knew from the time I was about three years old, because I didn't have the same emotional reactions they did (getting excited or upset about certain things), and I didn't want to do what they were doing. Everyone I knew liked blue skies, sunshine, beaches, suntanning, having big get-togethers with friends or family, watching TV, falling in love with movie stars or celebrities, wanting to be rich and have nice stuff, etc. They seemed genuinely motivated by all that stuff. All I ever wanted to do was read a book on a beanbag chair during a thunderstorm. It hasn't changed, either.

Most people I know changed their personality or their tastes as they grew up. They changed their hair styles and hair colours, their clothing styles, their favourite foods, their favourite things, and quite often even their values. Nope. For me I've been the same person I was at age 14 for 40 years now, except that I can drive a car and I get to pay taxes.

I used to feel as if I was different and it's only just recently through therapy that I've worked out that this was only with my own family. When I went out of the house I felt fine.

We worked out that it was because I was taken away for my own protection at a young age and so I just had nothing in common with them after that.

I just wondered if this might be the same for other people.

Is it with everyone that you feel different or only with certain people.

It sounds like your making some good insights already.
I'm so glad you've found this therapist!

I can't think of a person I've ever felt "normal" with.
Sometimes I love people and I'm kind of comfortable, but I still don't feel normal.
Maybe my brain races and thinks too much.
I always seem to be thinking different things than others.
They always say "What made you think of that??!" as if my thoughts are bizarre.


In terms of social functioning, I don't think I've ever enjoyed a social event ever.
I spend the entire time wondering how soon I can leave / hide / escape.

To answer your question - it's all people, always.

Mind you, I have childhood trauma too.
It started at age 7 that I'm aware of, but could have been even younger.
Maybe a lot of this is early-onset CPTSD complicating matters.


In terms of behaviour, I'm always the weird one.
I mean that sincerely.
I can see it on home movies back to the time I was little, and even now.
People sometimes laugh when they see me in home movies.
They joke about how spaced-out I look.
I usually tell them "Oh I was feeling sick" or "I had a headache".

Even my job evaluations for work made comments that I seemed different.
Some of them commented about bad eye contact or posture.
One even said I acted like I was still a teenager, and got on better with teenagers.

Thank you IsabellaLinton. That's gave me a lot to think about.

Yes my therapy is going well. Well he tells me that I'm doing well anyway.

I'm so glad.

I've always known that the world around me was at least in part baffling to me. When I was a kid I always had to watch closely and copy what other people were doing, even without always understanding why everyone was doing whatever it was, when everyone else seemed to just know what they were supposed to do.

As an adult I have learned about usual things and know how they work, so it's less baffling, but still awkward and uncomfortable, and I am sometimes (often?) wrong when I think I have something figured out.

I've always felt inferior, not so much different.

Inferior to who?

I've always felt different, but that's because everyone I've met has always treated me blatantly different than they treat other people. Teachers always hated me and treated me like I couldn't do anything right + was wasting their time, my family members treated me the same, my peers have always flat out ignored and avoided me, most of my coworkers treat me like I'm an idiot that doesn't know what's going on, etc. I've watched these same people treat every other person they've interacted with vastly different than they treat me, so I caught on pretty quick even as a kid that I must be "different", and not in a good way.

To my peers. I always felt stupid because everyone else in the class seemed to take in what the teacher was saying, while I say there saying "I don't get it?" I also felt they were all perfect, as in well-behaved and I was the naughty child who couldn't behave or the class dunce who couldn't learn.

I wouldn't say I necessarily felt different. I've always been too much in my own world to think about that.

OK