Why do I always get a sudden bad feeling when I am in a crowd?
23 Answers
Last Updated: 05/04/2020 at 7:15pm
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D'Anna Davis, LCSW
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
The journey to where we are today included many ups, downs, twists and turns. Healing from the events of life is crucial in achieving mental health and happiness.
Top Rated Answers
I think it actually depends on the scenario but most of the time I feel bad when I feel like I don't belong or that I'm too shy to be myself and how to please other people when I should just be myself.
Are you a highly sensitive person? in crowds this can be overwhelming. HSP are like empaths, very tuned in to others and our senses may become overwhelmed. We can lose that connection to ourselves if we become to overwhelmed and this can be confusing as we try to make sense of this overloaded experience. While in crowds practice some mindfulness, perhaps focus on some deep breaths, repeat a mantra in your thoughts, pick something nice in the crowd to focus on. Don't resist the senses instead really be grounded in yourself and feel fully the presense of the experience. After situations like this it is important to take time for yourself, to reflect, do something calming for yourself. read a book, go for a walk in nature, a swim or sit and have a cuppa tea to really regain that energy of your own so that you are building your strength for future situations like this.
This could be a symptom of anxiety. What other emotions do you recognise whilst in a crowd? What are your thoughts at the time? Have you tried to rationalise and find out the cause of this bad feeling? Does everything seem to be stable and non-threatning or has a situation arose to make you feel anxious? These are things to think about when we are trying to understand our emotions and it should provide to be helpful the next time you experience this. You can always message me if you'd like to discuss this further :)
Anonymous
May 15th, 2018 11:09am
You could be suffering from burnout/pverstimulation of your senses. When theres toouch going on, its easy to feel overwhelmed.
Anonymous
May 4th, 2020 7:15pm
Feelings of self doubt and inadequacy can arise when you are in a crowd. When face to face with people we can compare ourselves easier, comparison is the thief of joy! People can also experience physical symptoms to crowds. These symptoms can cause sweat production, increased heart rate and breaths. People may have to enter into breathing exercise or, even be medicated to get through these physical responses. Mental or physical responses to crowds can be worked through with speaking to a professional and, doing some self work. Getting a bad feeling in a crowd is okay, its what you do with the feeling that is the most important.
You may be feeling some anxiety, because of something you've experienced in the past. Here we have lots of trained people to help you get through it! You will be okay!
Anonymous
December 18th, 2017 6:25am
Maybe it's because you think you may make a fool of yourself or a misunderstanding may happen or you may get into an argument with someone. Things that some people are afraid of something they prefer not to engage in by withdrawal and sometimes avoiding social occasions which include big crowds.
Anonymous
March 27th, 2017 12:14am
It may be that you have social anxiety, or you just feel uncomfortable in crowds. That is something very common that most people have to deal with.
Social anxiety causes people to feel bad during crowds. Like, when I am in a crowd, I feel watched and alone and I wish to go to a space with more space.
Anonymous
June 7th, 2016 11:24pm
The amount of people around you at once overwhelms your brain, along with your anxiety and other problems. Your brain cant handle it so it sends signals out to the rest of your body that you need to be scared.
You could be feeling anxious, which often appears with feelings of dread or a bad feeling. Perhaps this could be due to a discomfort of being around lots of people.
Although I cannot evaluate that this is what you are going through, I get a similar feeling with my anxiety and my therapist had said, because I struggled with this as a little girl and even around friends and family, that my anxiety may be more apparent in a social setting, thus social anxiety. Sometimes this causes me to panic as well, from being so overwhelmed.
There were many more factors about my life that I had to discuss with my therapist to receive that evaluation, though, although this feeling sounds similar.
Anonymous
March 7th, 2016 6:36am
That's for you to answer.
The main reason might be that you don't feel safe. You might just be paranoid, fearful, or even self-conscious. It's completely normal to feel this way sometimes. Just remember that fear only exists in your head - it's a thought, not reality.
Well,I feel bad when I am in a crowd because I am self conscious and I think about the way I am perceived by others and analize every move I do.I think that my problems come from a lack of self confidence.
It could be that you are overthinking things a little to much or that you have been doing it so long
Anonymous
December 22nd, 2015 12:47am
You always get a sudden feeling when your in a crowd because there are lots of people and your scared your gonna say something stupid.
Maybe it's because you associated crowds with some particular feeling at some point in your life. The best way to understand this is relaxing and concentrating on what is really bothering you. Talk to your mind. It won't bite.
Anonymous
October 27th, 2015 10:36pm
Sometimes social situations can trigger the fight or flight reaction in our brain resulting in social anxiety.
Anonymous
August 17th, 2015 12:00pm
Sometimes I feel terrible because I'm afraid they'd judge me, so I tend to isolate myself a lot. Secluding yourself from society doesn't help though, because it leaves you to your monstrous thoughts.
I get that feeling too. It is common among people with anxiety. It can happen because you are overwhelmed and a plethora of sensations can be too much for your anxiety to deal with. The bad feeling is your anxiety perceiving danger and trying to protect you from it. I find it helpful to ask my body why it is scared and listen to what it is trying to tell me.
This could be many things 2 of the most obvious answers being that you may have anxiety or chlostraphobia. That may not be true though.
When your in a crowd sometimes you feel that you have to act different and maybe your conscience Doesn't like when you act differently around people and it makes you feel bad.
Anonymous
June 29th, 2015 4:04am
Crowds can be very overwhelming to some people. There's just so many individuals, packed into one place, that it's hard to focus direct attention on someone and speak with them without being drowned in other people. Many people feel disconnected and alone in a crowd because it's hard to hold a real conversation.
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