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Mental health

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Becoming someone else.. does anyone

4 replies

Skandinaviem · 25/05/2018 20:31

Do this? If I spend time with a particular person I feel myself picking up their mannerisms, and emulating their body language. I don’t do it intentionally at all. I worry that I maybe have a very poorly defined sense of self, or sense of who I am. I wouldn’t say I have a very well defined sense of style although I LOVE it when people say stuff like “oh that’s so you”
Or “I saw and thought “Skandinaviem would like that” etc etc
I suppose I just get concerned that people I make friends with might thing I’m taking the mickey, or insulting them even by unintentionally gravitating to being like them.. or that I’m just weird!
I read somewhere that it’s a sign of having empathy but all I’d like to know really is if
do other people do this and if they do how can you reclaim your sense of self?
Gah!!! I’m turning into someone else!

OP posts:
JamPasty · 25/05/2018 20:42

I think it's fine. If you find yourself becoming a mirror image of someone, maybe dial it back a bit, but otherwise I'm sure it's fine!

Skandinaviem · 25/05/2018 20:44

Thank you JamPasty.. it’s so weird! It’s usually people I admire, so maybe subconsciously want to be like them, or as liked as they are? I would really love someone to tell me who I am and define me in detail so I can get a picture of who I am to everyone else? Does that make sense at all??

OP posts:
CthulhuInDisguise · 25/05/2018 20:52

I think I do this too. I end up liking the same things as the people I get close to and having similar interests. My ex was really into a particular band that I hadn't heard of, I like them now but it's completely different style to what I would usually like. I find I enjoy the same tv progs as my DH despite not liking them before I met him. I think I absorb personalities and opinions.

Skandinaviem · 25/05/2018 20:55

Why though? And why only specific people? Or is that what it means to be good friends with someone? You share humour, outlook, taste etc so by virtue of that your already similar or you wouldn’t have become friends in the first place. I just don’t like thinking of myself as someone with a jelly like personality that becomes someone else and like the people I’m surrounded with at the time. I want to just be me, like Oscar Wilde said.. be yourself,
everyone else is taken..

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