Topic: That One Feeling I Can't Explain

English Alexithymia Forum > Questions and Answers

That One Feeling I Can't Explain
25.10.2015 by Laelyn

This is probably going to be the worst question ever because I honestly can't describe the experience of this feeling but out of all my feelings that I've been able to work out with slow progress there's just this one emotion I can't work out. It's that feeling you get when you stare at a wide view of the world like the mountains or a forest or the stars at night. I've tried to go through all the words that would seem to fit such as "love", "awe", "astonishment", "reverence", "adoration" etc. but nothing defines it. It's almost 'undefinable' but I don't want to not be able to define it when I can't express it to other people.
It's just so frustrating and the feelings are intense, please help.

Maybe multiple emotions
24.12.2015 by patriciaeff

I don't know how helpful this will be but as someone without alexi traits I think I know exactly what you're talking about, that overwhelming feeling of looking at something that seems infinite (an exceptionally starry night, long views of a mountain range, the opening scene in Disney's Earth where there are thousands of birds) and for me it's not just one emotion.

Biggest part is awe, and it's helpful here to use the synonym Wonderstruck here: (of a person) experiencing a sudden feeling of awed delight or wonder.

That ties into delight and pure happiness, but it also ties into a very deep sadness -- I don't know why but it's almost like it's too much beauty for me to deal with and I have a bit of an existential crisis, feeling very insignificant.


It may be that you're struggling to name that emotion because it's not just one thing, it's an amalgamation

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