What is wrong with me? Is anybody else like this?

[17caterpillars1mouse]

Ok my AIBU is am i unreasonable to react like this? What is wrong with me?

Is anybody else like this?

In day to day life I wouldnt say i'm anymore emotional than the average person, but in certain situations I get this ridiculous over emotion that floods me and results in me starting to cry and have to bite my lip to try and stop myself making a scene. It feels incontrollable at times and I dont remember always being like this.

The situations -

weddings and funerals starting - maybe not as unusual but it happens even if i barely know the person / people

Any kind of show - theatre, cinema, gig, kids nativity, especially if there is singing and music but there doesnt have to be

Every year when the year 6s leave at my kids school, even if i dont know any of them. Also school sports day even when my kids aren't participating in the race.

I cant sing along to the radio in the car without getting choked up and starting to cry. It doesnt matter what the song is / is about

Watching a parade at the weekend, had to hold back the tears - no idea why

When ambulances drive past, not every time, but around 70% of the time.

I don't know what comes over me and why, just a complete flooding of emotion. Why am i like this? It can be very embarrassing

I used to be exactly like this, especially points one and two but it resolved about 20 years ago when I met my husband and I haven’t been like that since.

I can only imagine that the hormones associated with being happy and settled have ironed it out (I wasn’t especially unhappy beforehand but probably more “neutral” whereas now I’m positive on the happy scale.) I also started eating more red meat after I met my husband, don’t know if that made a difference.

I'm liable to cry at any likely or even unlikely trigger, I've always been the same and am waaay past menopause so can't really blame cycle anymore. My excuse, insofar I need one, is that some things are beautiful or inspiring or tragic (or whatever) and it's part of being human.

My grandmother used to say of my grandfather " He'll cry at anything" and he did, so perhaps it's genetic. The Lachrymose Gene.

Emotion elevation - coined by the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. A feeling of warmth, often felt physically in the chest, or overwhelming emotion, positivity, something feeling 'bigger' then our own individual selves and an optimistic outlook on humanity.

Helps people to join or stay in Religions or cults because if you're already open to that ideology, it's an overwhelming feeling that seems like God/spirit/the Universe/a higher power/the person who is talking, is making you feel that way.

It's powerful.

My brother is like this. I think it's rather sweet

I well up at everything on your list. I'm never going to 'make a scene' or even sob, but a few tears and too choked to speak, for sure. I'd quite like to join a choir but I can't sing without getting choked so that's out.

I'm post menopausal so I can't even blame hormones, but I cry if someone else cries. At anything. I cry at adverts, I cry at films, I don't often cry at passages in books but in one book (which I WROTE, FGS) there is a passage that makes me cry every time I think about it. I cry at memories of long gone pets, I sometimes cry over current dog when I think about her going.

I have no idea what it is. I just carry tissues all the time now.

Yes the leavers arch. I try and avoid it as i cry uncontrollably. Complete emotional overwelm

No. It is calling having a soul.

Sounds like something psychologically unprocessed. Grief, trauma, loss. Or maybe you are just an emotional person and that’s how you are built, sounds lovely to me to be able to feel so strongly, must make life v interesting.

Yes, same. I'm not generally a particularly teary person (I'm not someone who cries every day, like many women say they do). I'm quite cynical, and not very 'gushy'. But I cry so easily at things like funerals, sporting endeavour, my child's assemblies or sports day - oh god! I am absolutely dreading the end of Y6 already (he's in Y2 😂) and just the London Marathon music sets me off!

I don't watch films with sad endings because I can't bear them - it's not enjoyable, I'm a blubbing mess while everyone files out of the cinema laughing and joking.

Er, no. I am years past menopause and am still easily moved to tears, especially by powerful music, film, theatre, literature, art--but also by certain events in everyday life.

Seeing Torville and Dean do the Bolero made me sob. Still does!

Took my kids to a circus when they were very young and silently sobbed the whole way through. I have no idea why and was desperate not to spoil it for them.

I'm fiercely anti-royal yet cried at Di and Charles wedding. Why?!!!

LOLOLOLOL!!! Best post today!

Ugh me too and I hate it. If I try and tell a story that has any kind of feel good aspect, my voice breaks and my kids roll their eyes and ask if I’m crying. Pathetic

And I'll add that I'm also highly disciplined, organized and a very toughie cookie professionally. And I don't want this splendid contradiction in myself to be "resolved" as a PP put it!

Yes to all those things too. Add in seeing funeral cars, school church service and when kids are lost in supermarkets. Yet I can do my job dealing with really vulnerable people in terrible situations and be absolutely fine. I cant even blame menopause and ive been like this my whole adult life

I recently decided I was going to try to avoid funerals as the last two, where I was there for a family member of the bereaved, I made it all about me, as in I LEAKED tears like it was water from a tap and people were putting their arms around me. I was so annoyed at myself, especially one where the bereaved’s two very young adult children got more upset because of me. I think I should avoid wakes and funerals as a result. Op am interested to know is it new? Is it age? Hormones?

Musical performances by children. Even as a teen for my younger siblings, which I used to be so incredibly embarrassed about!

and loud noise. I recently walked through a Turkish food festival with a stage. it was just loud music (very very loud music, and I didn’t understand a single word. So that wasn’t the issue) but I realised how my eyes got a little wet.

This sometimes happen when I encounter very loud groups of people (such as demonstrations etc.) as well. Particular sympathies of mine are fairly irrelevant btw. It’s incredibly annoying because I don’t necessarily want people to assume that I’m agreeing with the protestors. It’s just my reaction to people being emotional and loud!

(I’m not bawling, hiccuping or anything. My eyes just start to water and overflow!)

I too cried at Charles and Diana's wedding but it was because she looked like a lamb going to slaughter.

I cry at beautiful things that move me: particularly architecture and shows/performances where you see talent in the people doing the things. I can’t believe I’m such a lovvie. It came on after having kids; but am post menopausal now and I still do it. My kids really tease me about it (if we go to a show, before curtain up it’s “are you crying yet, mum?”). I actually don’t mind it: being moved by things is surely a good thing? I don’t tend to lose control/ do ugly snotty sobbing and no screaming or fainting in the Cistene chapel (but then I’ve never been so maybe …).

It's definitely not you.

I've been known to cry at adverts...and key changes in certain songs physically affect me and set off. 'Perfect Gentleman' by Wyclef Jean always knocks me for six.

I can't get through a church service without welling up, even tho if h I'm fairly on the fence about religion these days.

The worst time it hit me was visiting the Parsonage in Haworth - home of the Brontë family. When we got to Bramwell's room I was just paralysed and couldn't stop crying. It was his bicentennial year and I keep meaning to go back and see if it happens again but it was very, very weird.

I was watching our preschool nativity once and the little girl who was Gabriel was just so lovely the tears were pouring down my face. I felt a right wally when the woman next to me said aw, is she yours? and I had to say no 🤦‍♀️

I'm the same. Have got worse as I've got older. I even cried secretly watching Stitch. I can't go to the ballet.. last time I went I was a blubbering mess (no alcohol either)!!

I think this is normal for women….

I sob reading books on the sungloungers on holiday 🤣

I cried at the Eiffel Tower lit up at night.

Picassos house in Malaga set me off.

seems I do a lot of crying on holiday 🤣

lost cat posters always get me too

I think this is the reason for me getting emotional..I didn't grieve properly for a close relative. I just pretended it wasn't happening and I'd see them again 😔