Emotional Sponges: People Who Feel Everything Very Intensely

There are people who are naturally highly sensitive, and others who, under certain circumstances, become extremely perceptive and vulnerable. In both cases, there is an effect that causes them to behave as “emotional sponges”, that is, as agents that easily absorb emotions from the environment.

Although this state of “emotional sponges” gives them a certain edge over other people, given their high perception capacity, it is also a factor that causes them to become emotionally overwhelmed. Therefore, it is not uncommon for them to end up suffering from extreme tension and constant stress, which is very difficult to change.

People “emotional sponges” get overwhelmed very easily. What is a virtue easily becomes a burden. Unfortunately, it is also common for other people to turn them into recipients of their own overload, given their empathy and receptivity.

People “emotional sponges”

People who are “emotional sponges” have some characteristics that allow them to be identified. In general, they are highly receptive to the individual emotional condition of other people, as well as to the subjective atmosphere of groups.

The main characteristics of these people are as follows:

• They are very intuitive. They don’t need anyone to tell them how they feel to see if they’re right or wrong. They catch everything with ease.

• These people are too empathetic. Not only are they able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, but they do it in an extreme way. In other words, they come to feel the emotions of others as if they were their own.
• They feel responsible for people’s well-being. They believe they should help others when they feel bad. They get upset with themselves if they don’t.
• They look for solutions to other people’s problems. Their excessive empathy and the appropriation of the pain of others lead them to spend a good part of their time reflecting on how to solve the problems of those around them.
• They are dominated by the emotions of others. For “emotional sponge” people, it’s very difficult not to get involved when they know someone else’s suffering. They literally take these negative emotions as their own.

• They attract toxic people. They are always surrounded by people who are full of problems or who are looking to explore the other emotionally.
• Prioritize others. These people act as if there is a mandate that leads them to despise their own well-being for the well-being of others.

a very heavy weight

People “emotional sponges” end up harmed by their excessive sensitivity, empathy and solidarity. Most of the time, since they were very young, they got used to carrying the problems of others, even their own parents. They understand and help simply because they have the ease and desire to do so.

The problem is that, without realizing it, these sensitive people end up forgetting about themselves. Most of the time, they are motivated by the selfish desires of people who may even use them or look for them only when they need their help.

In this way, extreme sensitivity and enormous empathy lead them to adopt the role of eternal “emotional regulators”. The cost can be very high, because there may come a time when they become invisible to themselves, becoming potential victims of emotional abuse.

The “absorption” of neurosis

An emotionally sensitive person can confuse their own identity precisely because of the great influence that others have on their emotions. An example can illustrate the point: A mother tells her child that he is insensitive because he doesn’t call often.

However, if the situation is examined in detail, things can be exactly opposite to how the mother puts them. Perhaps she is insensitive to her son, blaming him for his own limitations. This type of behavior corresponds to a defense mechanism called “projective identification”.

First, what an “emotional sponge” person can do is become aware of how exposed they are to being the victim of toxic behavior. So, it is necessary to learn to manage the feeling of guilt, digesting it and preventing it from governing your actions.

The solution also involves learning to value your own feelings, setting boundaries for others when necessary.