Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get an overwhelming sense of danger from a stranger?

676 replies

ThisIsCheese · 07/05/2019 09:57

The weirdest thing just happened. I’m in the supermarket and as I’m stood selected and bagging vegetables I suddenly feel very uncomfortable.
There is a man about 50 something stood with his elderly mother a few feet away to the side of me and I felt very sick and uncomfortable when I looked at him.
Absolutely no reason for it but it was overwhelming, like a sense of fear he was not a good man.

Completely clueless why I felt that way I moved along quickly but I crossed paths with him again in another aisle and knew he was there before I saw him because the sick / anxious feeling returned.

Anyone else ever had this? I don’t have anxiety or anything but this feeling was so odd, like I could sense he wasn’t a good person.

Never met him before, he could be perfectly lovely but my physical reaction to him was so strong Confused

OP posts:
bobstersmum · 07/05/2019 22:18

I've heard people on here say that they've met or been near someone and felt this and it's later turned out they were right. Your instincts are definitely there for a reason and not to be ignored!

SrSteveOskowski · 07/05/2019 22:20

Couple of people saying a celebrity creeps them out too. There is one guy currently on tv that just make me feel so uncomfortable and creeped out when he's on. I find myself backing back into the couch to 'get away' from him.
I don't think I'm allowed name him here because a thread about 'creepy celebrities' was deleted here recently and pretty much every second person named him.

Laiste · 07/05/2019 22:21

SrSteveOskowski - oh god give us a clue! Grin

Laiste · 07/05/2019 22:22

Is it a 'Saturday night' celeb?

NottonightJosepheen · 07/05/2019 22:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

juliej00ls · 07/05/2019 22:31

Regarding the caretaker. Report your concerns to the headteacher in writing. Just facts .... play fighting over familiar etc. No judgment. It might be nothing however this means if something else happens which may also be “nothing” it will make the head think again. It’s how safeguarding works.

justasking111 · 07/05/2019 22:32

A child at my sons school he was SEN had to wear head protection when he became agitated he banged his head. I caught him battering his sister whilst his mum was waiting for another sibling. I shouted at him to stop what he was doing. The look he gave me made me shudder. His Father was always seriously scary, uber religious, got his missus pregnant 8 times, only stopped when the hospital said another baby would kill her. He would not allow her to wear make up, dye her hair, or wear nice clothes.

To be honest the whole family were weird beyond words and creeped me out.

LilQueenie · 07/05/2019 22:33

Whether your beliefs follow the woo path or not this is what empaths feel all the time from people. Some call it instinct, gut feeling whatever name you use its all the same. The important part is to remember to follow it. Admittedly it is pretty strange the first time you notice it this strongly.

SrSteveOskowski · 07/05/2019 22:35

@Laiste, yes, you're spot on!

justasking111 · 07/05/2019 22:36

Oh and I forgot the parents own and run a hostel. Sitting here talking to son about them, he was weirded out too as a little boy by the whole family.

Surfingtheweb · 07/05/2019 22:38

It's intuition, there is an amazing book called The Gift Of Fear, tells you all about it 😀

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheGifttofFear

YouDancin · 07/05/2019 22:39

@Laiste - understood - you would never want an innocent person to be subject to a rumour mill. Just be watchful.

AdoraBell · 07/05/2019 22:41

I’ve had this about a few people. One, in Chile, I was walking from a friend’s place to ours. Friend’s father was there and I changed direction to put as much room as possible between us. Had never met him, he didn’t speak or move from his chair. I wanted to run.

Later conversions with friend explained my reaction. Friend was German, no problem with that. He was born in Chile about 70 years ago but was raised very German. Friend’s parents moved to Latin America as WW11 was coming to an end, and they managed to bring their high value possessions with them. Of course friend’s father was in the Army, who wasn’t at that time, right? And who got all their family and possessions, including yachts, to South America?

Always trust you gut instinct.

Stormy76 · 07/05/2019 22:42

This has happened to me several times, when I was at school -secondary, there was a teacher who gave girls the creeps. We all knew he didn’t like girls and he would actively discourage girls from choosing his particular class. Found out much later that he was convicted of sexually abusing boys, I just wish that we all had said something about how creepy he was. Another time I was caring for a patient who terrified me, it turned out he was actually quite dangerous.

I will never forget I was out shopping years ago and walked past this man who made my skin crawl all over, I felt physically sick, shaky, just had to get away. I felt that he was a very bad bad person.
I also never liked Jimmy Saville, he always gave me the creeps and I remember my father saying he was sure that he was a a pervert, he just gave off a very weird vibe. Occasionally I will walk past someone who makes my hair stand on end, I haven’t had such a strong reaction to anyone since that man ....I am sure that I will see his face one day on tv because he has been picked up for murder.

SkaterGrrrrl · 07/05/2019 22:48

The Gift of Fear

Great book. Our subconscious minds notice way more than we think. Fear and gut instincts kept us alive on the savannah, and keep us safe today. Worth a read!

Thatsalovelycuppatea · 07/05/2019 22:51

I get this I am normally right. Trust your instincts!

lololove · 07/05/2019 23:01

Not at all, when my mum had building work done on her house, over 10 years ago, she had an electrician who was cheeky but nice. One day he was called to price up another job and his friend and business partner came to finish off bits. Instantly I did not like this other electrician before hed even spoken to me and got bad vibes.

Turned out to a true gut feeling given that he goosed me on passing , made several overtly sexual comments and tried to corner me alone. He was 50 to 60, I was 21 and terrified. His business partner, I complained after throwing him out the house , said that was just him and what he was like!

yolofish · 07/05/2019 23:01

When I was about 10 years old, a local man advertised for people to come and look after/ride his ponies. For some unknown reason my mother thought this would be a good idea, to give me something to do in the school hols!! So we went and visited, dear litle ponies, lovely countryside setting, and mum said that I would be up there from the following Monday. All seemed fine, till I went to bed that night and burst into tears and said I loved the ponies but the man was horrible!

Sofagirl · 07/05/2019 23:02

I think women are gifted with a heightened sense of perception - would love to be able to create a real life group and swop stories in person!

Dieu · 07/05/2019 23:07

I've never had an experience like this, and compared to the rest of you, would probably be bloody useless in recognising the signs.
However our crazy childhood Staffie would often react very negatively towards certain men, while I was in my early teens. When one in particular tried to talk to me, I'm sure she'd have ripped his throat out, had I let go of her leash.
She was mad as a box of frogs, but a bloody legend of an animal. And highly intuitive.

Bowerbird5 · 07/05/2019 23:13

Yes, I have.

I was in a small pub, DH went to the bar and a group of men came over to the space I was standing in. One of them had a really blank look and made me feel really uncomfortable. Like you I felt I felt a sense of fear/ that he was an unpleasant character. DH asked why I had moved.

Two days after we returned home he was arrested for the murder of a young girl who lived two streets away from the ‘safe ‘ area that we had found a flat for DD for uni.
He had been in that pub a day or two after murdering that girl. No wonder his face was blank expression he was likely in shock at what he had done.
I felt sick. DH wasn’t sure until they said his nationality as he hadn’t taken much notice. It confirmed I was right because I had told DH at the time. I knew because I recognised his face immediately. I had recognised his language as we had been there on holiday.

Osirus · 07/05/2019 23:20

I had this once, in a shop also. He just concerned me somehow.

A few days later he was arrested for murder, sadly for the woman who served me in the shop that day. I was one of the last people she served and he followed her after her shift before killing her.

Laiste · 07/05/2019 23:20

sofagirl - it's a fascinating subject. I can see complete logic in the process of how and why a person can be repulsed by another like this.

Personally what interests me a little more though is when those same strong gut reactions happen with places. Or objects. I get this happen much more often than with people tbh. And with more clarity. My smells theory and the body language stuff is useless to explain those situations Grin

BlackeyedGruesome · 07/05/2019 23:24

I have only withdrawn from one job interview, got that strange feeling when shaking hands with the chair of governors at the end.

whohaa · 07/05/2019 23:26

I had an interview with the head teacher at a primary school. He gave me the proper creeps. Eventually he was caught out as a prolific paedophile.