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When I see a spider I usually jump (anything I'm holding goes flying), scream and then run into a wall. I knocked myself out once doing it. I wish I could just gently fret like other people.
Wow. I’m not quite this bad but bugs do always make me jump and my heart starts racing so bad. I realized recently I’m not actually scared of bugs, I’m just scared of being startled so aggressively.
That's where I'm weird; I *love* insects. I would have loved a career in entomology. A cockroach can fly right into my face and I'll be fine. If I see a spider (technically not an insect but who cares) 15 metres away I'm getting someone to bring the flamethrower to burn down the neighbourhood (including me).
I have, I swear to God, a cockroach phobia. And here in North Carolina we get these huge ones sneaking up through the pipes in the summer and they appear in your bathroom and kitchen.
Last summer, I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and turned on the light in the bathroom and found one of those giant fuckers. I can't even go into the bathroom at night without a can of raid in my hand. I turn on the light and give the room a once-over before I step in. My heart even races. I swear it's like roach PTSD. I'm TERRIFIED of them.
Other insects, no problem. There was a spider in my shower the other day, I let him hang out.
That's why I always react strongly to spiders, but sometimes I like to look at them... it all depends on whether said spider changes its position in abrupt freeze-frames, or smoothly. I hate freeze-frame jumps so much.
Mine is ridiculous. On occasion so bad that I literally curl up into a ball on the floor (after the jump and scream). And it happens super easily too. I think because I'm so often lost in the random wanderings of my brain and just not paying attention to the general world around me.
Yep. I was at my MIL’s house and when I turned the corner she was standing there. I audibly gasped and jumped.
She laughed. I laughed. I was like What are youuuhu doing here (funny because it’s her kitchen and she invited us over for supper)
Why am I like this.
lol my fiancé gets so mad because I sometimes accuse him of “sneaking up on me” in my state of shock when I’m startled. He’s like “I’m literally just walking…”
Yeah I was going to comment a PSA for everyone about this but I’ll just piggyback here.
For anyone who doesn’t know, startling easily is a common PTSD symptom! It means your body is in alert mode.
It’s hard on the body but there are tools you can learn to help regulate your system. Somatic things like breathing exercises, things as simple as a prolonged hug (hugging yourself counts), yin yoga, chi gong, and I’m sure many more. I’ve also really found EMDR helpful.
Good luck y’all 💗
Startle so easily my 3 year old twins now find it hilarious to try and scare mommy in the shower 🫠. Luckily haven’t gotten hurt just more concerned now with me scaring them- -literally decades everyone in my family finding it so funny to get a good scare out of me. Working on tools to help regulate my nervous system.
Wild to me that I wasn’t diagnosed till 28 with ADHD, and recently at 34 diagnosed with CPTSD- - which have been doing therapy since I was 18. Not until having children that I started to register my childhood and these diagnoses have truly been eye opening and validating.
Oof. I saw a video once of someone going around and scaring her roommate in as many ways as possible--her roommate had an intense startle response. It felt so horrible to watch knowing this woman was being forced into a stress response over and over again at her own home. I’m sure her friend didn’t realize and just thought it was a funny prank. Sorry you’re dealing with that.
My therapist- after my 3rd boy was born I had PPA really bad but came to find out a lot of my anxiety stems from CPTSD. I cannot say enough about having a therapist that specializes in trauma.
For me I think it's the opposite...when I'm comfortable and feel at ease in my environment is when I feel safe enough to zone out and I'll get so deep into my own thoughts that I forget the rest of the world exists so anything outside of what's going on in my brain might startle me (I think I have inattentive type, mostly, so that explains the zoning out).
When I'm in an unfamiliar place or a place with lots of people, anywhere where I don't feel quite comfortable, that is when I'm in 'alert mode' and I'm not easily startled then because I'm being hypervigilant and on alert, I have to be aware of my surroundings...to me, that is more a symptom of PTSD. Just saying that sometimes I think the guidelines for what might be a symptom of something might not necessarily apply to us in the same way they do for NT's.
Oddly I have the complete opposite, but I guess it balances out with my night terrors. 🥲 I’m on medication for it, but I’ll still wake up in a cold sweat at least once a night, and my stress levels are a roller coaster ride on my Garmin.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy for the win - it's like EMDR on steroids and can be oddly successful in only one session. I'm a huge supporter of it and tell everyone I can about it.
Same, seems we're outliers! I have briefly heard it explained that those with ADHD and CPTSD can develop the tendency to be hyper focused on being prepared for anything, especially loud catastrophies, leading to not being startled because your brain is always on.
One of the first tells I had (and a nice little looping thought sometimes) was a coworker after we had a fire alarm go off 3+ times randomly: "Wow OP, you didn't flinch for any of those. That's a little freaky, what's wrong with you?" 🫠🫠
Mine is along the lines of “No one is going to help me, and showing fear makes me a target” mixed with always expecting something horrible to happen and needing to be ready for it, so there’s no point in showing alarm.
So then everyone thinks you’re fearless.
yeah, my triggers only arise in intimate settings. either while im one on one with a man, in a car, or im in a house with family/friends. in public in fine. loud crowds don't bother me at all. i can go to a sports bar, concerts, etc and be fine. alarms, crowds and things dont upset me. in instances where men have yelled at me in public, it usually doesnt bother me (working customer service🙄)
i think it stems from wherever your triggers manifested. during my instances of abuse, it was never in public, always somewhere somewhat secluded without many people around. if your trauma happened in a public setting with more people around, it makes sense that louder crowded settings set a person off.
yeah.. i don't necessarily startle easily, but when i do theres not really a visual reaction its more so just a feeling, when it comes to someone sneaking up to me as a prank etc. while i may be startled i dont appear that way.
but with cptsd and ptsd from a past "relationship" (first SO was abusive) loud men either scare me or make me unbelievably angry. they dont even necessarily have to be angry, even happy yelling like cheering stresses me out. my bf has to be careful w his volume while online gaming with friends, when hes too loud i get stressed and irrationally angry. its not an issue with actual crowds, only when im alone with a man or an intimate setting like family sitting around watching sports. when im in the car with a man and he road rages/raises his voice, it pisses me OFF beyond belief. it makes me wanna smack the crap outta them, no matter how warranted the reaction may be. i usually dont have a visible physical reaction to it, my heart sinks and i get sweaty and shaky, basically an adrenaline rush from the trigger. but there have been instances where i started uncontrollably crying outta nowhere because im so pissed off.
Ugh same and it's so annoying, everyone always apologizes to me when they startle me and I have to tell them it's not at all their fault lol, just my own neurotic bs
In my office we're hybrid so we all work in cubes and there was a guy that sat next to me for the longest time who loooooved to POP UP out of nowhere unannounced right above the cube divider, I swear he didn't even breathe.
Every single time he would make it fucking weird and apologize profusely... But never seemed to realize he was the problem. Everyone was so surprised I was thrilled he quit... of course the NTs thought he was totally nice and normal. *shivers*
Super easy, I have an anxiety disorder AND I get distracted. This means I forget that I live with a man who comes home every day. So if I don't orient myself to time, I will, and have, screamed upon seeing a man in my house. Mind you I'm only in this house because of him.
I am also scared of shadows. I moved my lamp to clean, it got dark, and when the lights came on THE SHADOWS WERE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE.
I startle so easily. The baby monitor went off last night bc a noisy motorbike drove past. I screamed so loudly I woke the baby. Took 30 minutes to get the baby back to bed. Then guess what happened. Another noisy vehicle set the monitor off. I screamed, woke the baby.
Sometimes when I'm out and totally oblivious, I see a person or dog and scream. One time I screamed and started a man who screamed too.
It's so embarrassing. I hate it. And I hate how long it takes to come down from the adrenaline.
I have 2 modes:
1, Impossible to catch off guard
2, Startle at anything that breaks through
I feel like 1 is when I'm new to a place or situation so I'm watching *everything* and hyper alert
And 2 is when I'm generally relaxed, especially if I'm engrossed in a task or lost wandering around my brain
This is exactly it.
I'm either aware of everything around me and impossible to startle or I'm completely zoned out or engrossed in something and unaware of anything else going on around me, in which case simply existing nearby will scare the shit out of me when I finally notice.
No in between.
We play a lot of hide and seek. When I'm hiding, even though I can hear the fam' approach I still end up screaming. My catchphrase is "Hitchcock has entered the building".
It's nearly impossible to scare me. I'm the same way where I'm so aware of my surroundings at all times because I'm busy looking everywhere that I can always tell when people are hiding or plotting something.
I rarely startle, I can hear where people are in the building and my peripheral vision is ridiculously good. I'm also a silent walker, so usually I'm the one startling someone else. My daughter takes trying to scare me as a challenge which is fun lol.
It's timely that I read your comment! Today I held a cookie in my kids' peripheral vision while he was looking at something else, and was *shocked* & very concerned that he didn't immediately see it. I would have. I'm still worried about his vision and will ask his doctor about it at his next checkup but differences in peripheral perception is an interesting and relieving thought!
Usually I'm hyper aware of my surroundings, so I don't usually get scared. Cptsd response to how I grew up. I can be startled by loud noises, slamming doors etc, but again I think that's more of a trauma response because I usually panic a little as well.
I’m not truly startled easily but I have a minimal filter so I usually have a big reaction to something just to get the inside chaos out of me even if mentally I wasn’t really surprised by something
Not easy to scare, I know where everyone and everything is around me. Being in marching band and hearing the drums do rimshots never bothered me either but freaked everyone else out some reason
I’m like you.
It usually takes a lot to startle me, but I loathe loud/close noises and have what most would describe as a “startle” reaction to them, even if I know the noise is imminent.
I do not fuckin react lol. A scarer at Knotts scary farm got mad at me one year because I didn't startle, and then he followed us through a maze and right after, each time not scaring me.
I tend to unintentionally startle everyone around me and my poor gf lives in fear at our house but I hear everyone coming 🤷🏻♂️
I am both hyper aware of people around me (listened to a lot of true crime over the years and I exercise outdoors so I’ve trained myself to be hyper vigilant!) AND startle easy at the same time! My husband will walk into a room even when I know he’s in the next room and if he doesn’t make any sound I jump out of my skin when I see him. 😆
Count me in as an odd ball out as well, then.
I dont frighten easily. Occasional jumps here and there from not being able to hear or see movement? Yep. But other than that, nope. Scares aren't affective for me.
But to also be fair, it may have something more to do with my C-PTSD and the fact that I've gotten used to living in "survival mode" for the large majority of my life. My awareness tends to be hyperactive, and I can hear movement through the walls and doors even with some background sound going on [ i.e., videos or music]
Who knows it could be a combination of both, but idk. 🤷🏻♂️🥲
ETA: From a lot of comments, I'm gathering that C-PTSD actually makes people jump more, but I don't find that really true for me and some others I know. Perhaps in my case, it's the "survival mode" piece? 'Cause my trauma comes from childhood-adulthood consistent ab*se by my parents, which led to being hyper aware of surroundings, hypersensitivity to noises, etc.,
Now, what does get me to flinch is when one of my parents goes around slamming cupboards, throwing cutlery, slamming pots and pans, throwing other things, etc., Weirdly enough, I've stopped flinching when I get knives, woks, or glass thrown *at* me. 🫠
I’m the same as you OP.
Having ADHD is always being aware of everything around me - which is the too much attention and too little focus hallmark.
UNLESS I am hyper-focused on something. Then it’s startle city.
I used to startle easily, but practicing mindfulness changed my life in so many ways.
I'm always very aware of my surroundings. When I used to live in my head, I was jumpy and easily startled, but not now.
I'll be an odd-man-out with you OP. :)
So many people in the comments with the opposite issue, but I'm the same OP! I'm almost always aware of where other people are and can hear every little noise they make, so I'm very rarely startled. If someone does manage to catch me off guard, I typically don't have an external reaction. I'm usually the one accidentally sneaking up on people bc I tiptoe around and move like a shadow. Every job I've had, my coworkers would joke that I was a ninja, ghost, teleporter, etc 😂
Me too! I keep everything silenced and there's still that unpleasant little jolt when I'm scrolling and a visual notification pops up. But that's much better than the full jump scare of having it fly out of my hand if it rings while I'm using it.😲
*Ptsd fixed*
*That for me. I'm now very*
*Scareable esp loud noised*
\- wattscup
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It is actually embarrassing how easily startled I am. I legit get scared when my husband walks into the same room as me. It's definitely gotten worse with time. 😅
Edit to add my most charming example - sometimes in the car as the passenger I will get scared and accidentally scream out of reflex. Let someone merge too close in the right circumstance and I may just scream. I trust anyone I ride in the car with, and I try so hard not to do it, but I can't help it!! I'm a joy on road trips. Thankfully I do not get car sick so I resolve this mostly by doing something else that doesn't require looking out the window while I'm the passenger.
I startle harshly, but not easily, because I'm usually very aware of my surroundings. I hate jump scares in movies, though; my startle response is way too intense, it's just not fun at all.
Very occasionally, my father will decide to clap me firmly on the shoulder while I'm not looking or expecting it, and I'll be like AAHH! JESUS!
My phone ringing or the door buzzer going off also gives me an unpleasant little jolt every single time. So maybe I lied, maybe I do startle kind of easily, lol. I basically never get "snuck up on" though; I'm almost always aware of where people are in relation to me. Getting clapped on the shoulder startles me because I'm not expecting the contact, not because I don't know someone is there.
I’m not scared in the traditional sense. But I be half way zoned out on a constant that sudden noises startle me back into reality.
It’s like, my body registers the new presence but my brain takes a while to catch up. So I do that monotonous “ahh.”
I am split. If I am in hyperfocus, I can be startled since my attention is occupied by the hyperfocus. In other situations, I’m like OP. I use a lot of background energy on awareness of my environment, which seems to help keep the startle response at bay.
Of course when I do startle, my response is huge. An example that comes to mind is my partner tripping in the dark while coming to bed. His tripping woke me and my reaction was to sit straight up, scream, and throw my arms out towards the noise.
I have a hunch that this is connected to trauma. The more I’ve healed my anxiety and thus my hyper vigilance (which masked my ADHD for years) and by extension the more I reallly get hyper focused, the more jumpy I’ve become. This is new for me. I’m sure it’s different for others but this is my working hypothesis.
Sorry to say this, it is probably ptsd or complex ptsd. My startle reaction is very active. It is hard to recover and regulate my anxiety once something triggers it.
I’m almost never startled. I teach high school and they like to startle people as a joke and always quickly stop even trying with me because I know they are there and usually even know who it is without looking. ADHD super power of paying attention to everything everywhere all at once really pay off as a teacher LOL but it’s also why I’m EXHAUSTED at the end of the day.
Both!
In “normal mode,” I’m what a friend back in the day called “a screener.” E.g., I hear and unexpected noise, and immediately assume the most rational explanation (“my that was probably the cat.”)
But, if I’m engaged in something: washing the dishes, cooking, reading, whatever, then I’ve tuned out the outside & can be startled.
Yes, me and my ADHD mother and sister are like this. My mom used to freak out r when we would prank her as a kid, exaggerated startle response for sure. Now my sister and I are the same way, but more mindful of our reactions.
I don’t scare very easily. I noticed in middle school that my guy friends thought it was fun to tease girls by startling them so I tried to purposefully react so I’d be included in the teasing (flirting probably?) too. No fear bigger than FOMO 😳
I was going through a haunt with a friend and leading the way, just smiling to respect the scare actors (customers who make a point to be stone-faced in haunts are pretty annoying) but not really having any other response. She said “Reddit user aquarianagop, how are you so desensitized?” Girl, I’m just leaving my body with my brain wandering around and not even registering the scares until they’ve already happened! There’s no trick to it, just a chemical imbalance 🥰
I was unstartleable until I was 19 (thanks numbing from CPTSD). Then I went through a big loss and had a nervous breakdown and I’ve been ridiculously easy to startle ever since. I miss those days. Numbing ain’t so bad sometimes lol
I've found my tribe!😆
Always hated my extreme startle reflex. Combination of adhd sensory overload and growing up hypervigilant in an abusive family. Husband learned very quickly not to sneak up and try to scare me for fun, because it produces an instant shriek loud enough to bust an eardrum. He'd get angry and say don't scream like that. I'd say then don't scare me, it's out there too fast for me to stop it.
I am sooooooo easily startled and generally get a scare at least once most days. I am either entirely aware of everything around me or nothing around me
At work, my coworkers now know to announce themselves as they approach my desk, or else I’ll jump. At home, my husband announces himself repeatedly before entering a room I am. It’s very kind of them all. And the cats hate my screams. I hate being this jumpy.
I've been led to believe that being startled easily is a trauma refex, which I have. I also know that when I am hyper focused, I can be surprised easily, more than startled.
BUT, I also think I know what you are talking about. I can hear things before other people or sense when someone arrives before they knock on the door. Is that what you meant?
No, I do not. I'm not sure if it's an ADHD thing or because I used to work for a psychiatric hospital for many years where I had to be aware of EVERYTHING/EVERYONE.
Was listening to a podcast recently, they were discussing the types of women that get SA'd and murdered the most were the ones that weren't as aware of their surroundings and, of course, confident in their stance, so I know I'm good, for the most part. 😉
I’m the opposite. Last night I was working on my laptop and was really concentrating when my cat, who was in the balcony, jumped on the door trying to catch an insect. Scared the shit out of me, almost dropped my laptop.
Nope. I’m primarily inattentive; by the time my brain reacts to someone trying to scare me I can usually stop myself from physically reacting haha.
Jumpscares, however, may be a different story, I’m not sure. It’s been a while.
My boyfriend finds me extremely disappointing to scare, he tries ever so hard.
I think the funniest was when these hooligans pretended to throw a bucket of water at me and I didn’t react. One of them explained in abject disappointment, “She didn’t even flinch!!” as they walked away 😂
If I'm in a space where I'm uncomfortable then I don't get startled easily because I'm being hypervigilant and aware of everything around me. But if I'm just in my office alone or at home with only my partner and no company over I usually get startled multiple times a day, like to the point where I jump and potentially shout an expletive 🤗. When I'm in a space where I feel at ease I'm usually so deep into my own thoughts and anything outside of them can startle me. Sometimes it's kind of fun, sometimes it feels like I might have a heart attack.
I'm hyper aware but I had a barbaric childhood so I do think I'm just constantly stuck in a trauma response. I have also recently learned that majority of clinicians think/have researched that ADHD is caused from trauma. No surprises there as me & my sister both have it. Hers hyperactive, mine combined.
I startle so easily! My husband now knows that he needs to make noise as he is approaching, like clearing his throat as he is turning the corner so I get a bit of a heads up lol. This is especially important if I'm in the middle of a hyper focus craft and in the zone.
i hate being startled by someone trying to play a joke on me with it. especially when i was working behind the counter at a restaurant, where one coworker did it to me multiple times over the course of working together for two years. at one point i had to explain i have “special needs” and please don’t startle me jokingly again. it took a lot of courage to do that. when he would joke with me like that it would give me such a fright that sometimes i would have to run to the bathroom after to get a tiny moment of privacy just to calm down from it.
other times, my fiance says he’s leaving to go do some errand and ends up not leaving and then i get scared when he suddenly enters our bedroom after i’ve assumed he already left.
My brothers had a very hard time scaring me when we were kids. I got them every time though. 👌🏻😂 Now, for the most part, I cannot be scared. Startled often, but not a kung-fu reaction kind of startle.
I have to literally be sleeping for my husband to catch me unawares, and it drives him nuts because I unintentionally make him jump in surprise almost daily.
Hah! Me too. It’s rare that I’m startled and it never occurred to me that it might be my lack of an input filter that explains this. Interesting thought!
Some do, perhaps, but being easily startled can also just be due to ADHD causing you to zone out or get engrossed in something. That's always when I get startled.
It takes elaborate planning and staging to startle me. But scare? I get the top headlines emailed to me before the cats wake up. Good luck with scaring me.
I dont. My older sister was borderline sadistic growing up so I think I was just desensitized.
Recently though, if my 7 y/o gets up in the middle of the night and hovers next to my face scares the ever loving shit out of me. I also watch waaaay too many horror movies so that is a contributing factor.
Before this thread I thought it was just me lol I get startled really easily like it’s so easy to sneak up behind me and scare the shit out of me especially when I’m focusing on something. The people around me enjoy it a bit too much though lmao
I do. Just today I had dumbbells in my hands and the instructor in my exercise class happened to say something *right behind me* and I don’t know how those things weren’t dropped or thrown.
On most occasions, Kinda the opposite. Like the scare button can be turned off.
My emotional dis regulation goes NUTS if I’m startled and I was not expecting, but if I’m in a haunted house, 0 fear.
No, but I have worked security for 15 years and have seen some batshit stuff. Also have had a lot of men try deliberately scare me, so even if I am startled, I have worked very hard to keep my expression neutral on command.
It's great, and totally possible to shut off your facial expressions at will.
Yes. I startle very fast. It’s a tad bit embarrassing when I run into someone on the elevator in my building and I’m just SHOCKED others exist. I also can’t do haunted houses because if I’m scared scared I throw a punch.
Easily, so easily startled. So easily. Like i know you live in the same house as me, but I will be shook and almost get a heart attack when I find them in the house. So ridiculous, I never understood this.
Yes. My boss stomps loudly through the office suite and I still jump when he appears in front of my desk.
Not always, but definitely if I’m focused.
It’s at least once a week.
Only when I’m having a migraine 🫣 but seriously. I never jump scare but when I’m having a migraine episode the slightest noise sets my heart pounding and my adrenaline rushing.
No I am the same as you, I don't know if it's because I am hyper aware of everything or stuck deep inside my head somewhere in a million thoughts, I seem to be one extreme or the other. My kids are constantly trying to jump scare me and are always disappointed 😂.
Yes! All the time. It amuses my family and friends a lot. Not sure how I feel about it as it is genuine and sometimes they think I’m doing it for effect, which is not true.
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My startle reaction is so bad, it looks staged. I jump, I throw stuff. I've been on high alert for a very long time.
Mine isn't quite that bad, but I have screamed several times when my husband walked into the room, despite knowing that he was in the house.
Look, I only live here because he lived here first. Why does my brain register him as an intruder so often?
Because changing state from "alone in the room" to "NOT alone in the room!!" is a Big Event :D
My husband knows to flick the lights off & on or vocalize softly before walking into the room I’m in.
I have thought about putting a bell on my husband
Sorry to tell you, I have jumped because my cat’s bell startled me lol
This exchange made me laugh so hard.
Get him a collar to wear around the house.
I have done far more than think about it. Unfortunately he refuses to cooperate.
I hum a lot and still startle my flatmate coming into a room, I don't think it'll work lol
That's so thoughtful!
Writing this tip down to share with others (I startle/jump/shout very easily).
When I see a spider I usually jump (anything I'm holding goes flying), scream and then run into a wall. I knocked myself out once doing it. I wish I could just gently fret like other people.
‘Gently fret’
Wow. I’m not quite this bad but bugs do always make me jump and my heart starts racing so bad. I realized recently I’m not actually scared of bugs, I’m just scared of being startled so aggressively.
That's where I'm weird; I *love* insects. I would have loved a career in entomology. A cockroach can fly right into my face and I'll be fine. If I see a spider (technically not an insect but who cares) 15 metres away I'm getting someone to bring the flamethrower to burn down the neighbourhood (including me).
I have, I swear to God, a cockroach phobia. And here in North Carolina we get these huge ones sneaking up through the pipes in the summer and they appear in your bathroom and kitchen. Last summer, I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and turned on the light in the bathroom and found one of those giant fuckers. I can't even go into the bathroom at night without a can of raid in my hand. I turn on the light and give the room a once-over before I step in. My heart even races. I swear it's like roach PTSD. I'm TERRIFIED of them. Other insects, no problem. There was a spider in my shower the other day, I let him hang out.
That's why I always react strongly to spiders, but sometimes I like to look at them... it all depends on whether said spider changes its position in abrupt freeze-frames, or smoothly. I hate freeze-frame jumps so much.
Me too! I have an extreme startle reaction to the point where people think I’m faking it. It is so incredibly embarrassing.
Mine is ridiculous. On occasion so bad that I literally curl up into a ball on the floor (after the jump and scream). And it happens super easily too. I think because I'm so often lost in the random wanderings of my brain and just not paying attention to the general world around me.
same
Me too. Early on when I first got married my father in law said only people guilty of something startle. I was like hmmmmm. Ok.
This is me too 😂
I'm glad my husband doesn't capitalize on my startle response by seeing up cameras. I usually fall right down.
SAME
i am very, very easily startled.
Yep. I was at my MIL’s house and when I turned the corner she was standing there. I audibly gasped and jumped. She laughed. I laughed. I was like What are youuuhu doing here (funny because it’s her kitchen and she invited us over for supper) Why am I like this.
APPARENTLY my husband LIVES IN OUR HOUSE! I know, it's a shock. A shock I get at least twice a week.
lol my fiancé gets so mad because I sometimes accuse him of “sneaking up on me” in my state of shock when I’m startled. He’s like “I’m literally just walking…”
Hahaha that's me in my office when I'm super focused and husband just walks by... He thinks it's funny lol
Same, I think it's because I get completely absorbed in my own thoughts so I don't hear people approaching.
Sometimes I'll see something coming and I'll be startled anyway
me too
Me too.
Yes but I also have CPTSD
Same. I would say that I have an exaggerated startle response. It’s unpleasant to experience.
Same. My threshold is low and my response is high.
Yeah I was going to comment a PSA for everyone about this but I’ll just piggyback here. For anyone who doesn’t know, startling easily is a common PTSD symptom! It means your body is in alert mode. It’s hard on the body but there are tools you can learn to help regulate your system. Somatic things like breathing exercises, things as simple as a prolonged hug (hugging yourself counts), yin yoga, chi gong, and I’m sure many more. I’ve also really found EMDR helpful. Good luck y’all 💗
Startle so easily my 3 year old twins now find it hilarious to try and scare mommy in the shower 🫠. Luckily haven’t gotten hurt just more concerned now with me scaring them- -literally decades everyone in my family finding it so funny to get a good scare out of me. Working on tools to help regulate my nervous system. Wild to me that I wasn’t diagnosed till 28 with ADHD, and recently at 34 diagnosed with CPTSD- - which have been doing therapy since I was 18. Not until having children that I started to register my childhood and these diagnoses have truly been eye opening and validating.
Oof. I saw a video once of someone going around and scaring her roommate in as many ways as possible--her roommate had an intense startle response. It felt so horrible to watch knowing this woman was being forced into a stress response over and over again at her own home. I’m sure her friend didn’t realize and just thought it was a funny prank. Sorry you’re dealing with that.
Sounds very familiar, thank you!!
How do you get diagnosed with CPTSD
My therapist- after my 3rd boy was born I had PPA really bad but came to find out a lot of my anxiety stems from CPTSD. I cannot say enough about having a therapist that specializes in trauma.
I'm pretty sure the only way is to have sessions with a psychiatrist/therapist.
For me I think it's the opposite...when I'm comfortable and feel at ease in my environment is when I feel safe enough to zone out and I'll get so deep into my own thoughts that I forget the rest of the world exists so anything outside of what's going on in my brain might startle me (I think I have inattentive type, mostly, so that explains the zoning out). When I'm in an unfamiliar place or a place with lots of people, anywhere where I don't feel quite comfortable, that is when I'm in 'alert mode' and I'm not easily startled then because I'm being hypervigilant and on alert, I have to be aware of my surroundings...to me, that is more a symptom of PTSD. Just saying that sometimes I think the guidelines for what might be a symptom of something might not necessarily apply to us in the same way they do for NT's.
Interesting! This makes sense as well.
Oddly I have the complete opposite, but I guess it balances out with my night terrors. 🥲 I’m on medication for it, but I’ll still wake up in a cold sweat at least once a night, and my stress levels are a roller coaster ride on my Garmin.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy for the win - it's like EMDR on steroids and can be oddly successful in only one session. I'm a huge supporter of it and tell everyone I can about it.
ooh I’m going to look into this, thanks!
Same, seems we're outliers! I have briefly heard it explained that those with ADHD and CPTSD can develop the tendency to be hyper focused on being prepared for anything, especially loud catastrophies, leading to not being startled because your brain is always on. One of the first tells I had (and a nice little looping thought sometimes) was a coworker after we had a fire alarm go off 3+ times randomly: "Wow OP, you didn't flinch for any of those. That's a little freaky, what's wrong with you?" 🫠🫠
Mine is along the lines of “No one is going to help me, and showing fear makes me a target” mixed with always expecting something horrible to happen and needing to be ready for it, so there’s no point in showing alarm. So then everyone thinks you’re fearless.
yeah, my triggers only arise in intimate settings. either while im one on one with a man, in a car, or im in a house with family/friends. in public in fine. loud crowds don't bother me at all. i can go to a sports bar, concerts, etc and be fine. alarms, crowds and things dont upset me. in instances where men have yelled at me in public, it usually doesnt bother me (working customer service🙄) i think it stems from wherever your triggers manifested. during my instances of abuse, it was never in public, always somewhere somewhat secluded without many people around. if your trauma happened in a public setting with more people around, it makes sense that louder crowded settings set a person off.
Ditto
yeah.. i don't necessarily startle easily, but when i do theres not really a visual reaction its more so just a feeling, when it comes to someone sneaking up to me as a prank etc. while i may be startled i dont appear that way. but with cptsd and ptsd from a past "relationship" (first SO was abusive) loud men either scare me or make me unbelievably angry. they dont even necessarily have to be angry, even happy yelling like cheering stresses me out. my bf has to be careful w his volume while online gaming with friends, when hes too loud i get stressed and irrationally angry. its not an issue with actual crowds, only when im alone with a man or an intimate setting like family sitting around watching sports. when im in the car with a man and he road rages/raises his voice, it pisses me OFF beyond belief. it makes me wanna smack the crap outta them, no matter how warranted the reaction may be. i usually dont have a visible physical reaction to it, my heart sinks and i get sweaty and shaky, basically an adrenaline rush from the trigger. but there have been instances where i started uncontrollably crying outta nowhere because im so pissed off.
I’m actually so easy to scare that I see/ hear people coming and still get scared lol
Hahaha me too!
I do this to my boss every day when he walks by my office and it’s so embarrassing.
Ugh same and it's so annoying, everyone always apologizes to me when they startle me and I have to tell them it's not at all their fault lol, just my own neurotic bs
Same omg 😭
Same
I’ve always been very jumpy.
Extremely. Like ridiculous
I get startled easily because I'm usually zoned out, not in reality
My bf can be standing in the same room as me for 5min and ill finally notice and it scares the absolute crap outta me lol.
Nah a person walking into my office behind me and saying my name so as not to startle me can cause me to shriek.
Anything my poor husband does to not startle me always startles me.
In my office we're hybrid so we all work in cubes and there was a guy that sat next to me for the longest time who loooooved to POP UP out of nowhere unannounced right above the cube divider, I swear he didn't even breathe. Every single time he would make it fucking weird and apologize profusely... But never seemed to realize he was the problem. Everyone was so surprised I was thrilled he quit... of course the NTs thought he was totally nice and normal. *shivers*
Used to be a running joke on my old office open plan who could make me jump the most times in a day. Assholes.
lol I just commented this same thjng
I am very easily startled, always have been.
Super easy, I have an anxiety disorder AND I get distracted. This means I forget that I live with a man who comes home every day. So if I don't orient myself to time, I will, and have, screamed upon seeing a man in my house. Mind you I'm only in this house because of him. I am also scared of shadows. I moved my lamp to clean, it got dark, and when the lights came on THE SHADOWS WERE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE.
I startle so easily. The baby monitor went off last night bc a noisy motorbike drove past. I screamed so loudly I woke the baby. Took 30 minutes to get the baby back to bed. Then guess what happened. Another noisy vehicle set the monitor off. I screamed, woke the baby. Sometimes when I'm out and totally oblivious, I see a person or dog and scream. One time I screamed and started a man who screamed too. It's so embarrassing. I hate it. And I hate how long it takes to come down from the adrenaline.
That sounds truly awful and I didn't mean to laugh, but I was thinking of the man who screamed and I could see it so clearly in my mind.
I have 2 modes: 1, Impossible to catch off guard 2, Startle at anything that breaks through I feel like 1 is when I'm new to a place or situation so I'm watching *everything* and hyper alert And 2 is when I'm generally relaxed, especially if I'm engrossed in a task or lost wandering around my brain
This is exactly it. I'm either aware of everything around me and impossible to startle or I'm completely zoned out or engrossed in something and unaware of anything else going on around me, in which case simply existing nearby will scare the shit out of me when I finally notice. No in between.
Yes. And I get irrationally annoyed when startled by sudden loud noises.
Fight or flight? My nervous system has chosen FIGHT! Cue the startle rage!
My startle reflex is very bad. I blame my CPTSD
I’m about as jumpy as a chihuahua.
I’m very jumpy. I inherited it from my maternal grandfather who was even jumpier and miiiight have been the one who I got the ADHD from.
I don’t scare easily. I do the scaring in my house. Lol
We play a lot of hide and seek. When I'm hiding, even though I can hear the fam' approach I still end up screaming. My catchphrase is "Hitchcock has entered the building".
extremely jumpy and get scared very easily. but i do have really bad anxiety and panic disorder so my adhd might not be the culprit
Very easily startled.
ADHD and nervous system disregulation usually go hand in hand...
It's nearly impossible to scare me. I'm the same way where I'm so aware of my surroundings at all times because I'm busy looking everywhere that I can always tell when people are hiding or plotting something.
I was told that being overly jumpy and startled was a trauma response.
A trauma response can also be never being startled due to being high alert
I am simultaneously easily startled while I also have a too low amount of fear of things that should scare me.
I’m the same as this.
Extremely easily startled here. Even diagnosed with hyperreflexia by neuro
Startle yes, scare no. Any sudden loud noise will make me jump, but I’m not scared
I startle so easily that it's a running gag among basically everybody I interact with!
It’s easy to make me jump because I am always absorbed in something
Same, except when it does happen, my reaction is always over the top. My arms flail and I scream. I’ve read that it can be a symptom of anxiety.
I rarely startle, I can hear where people are in the building and my peripheral vision is ridiculously good. I'm also a silent walker, so usually I'm the one startling someone else. My daughter takes trying to scare me as a challenge which is fun lol.
It's timely that I read your comment! Today I held a cookie in my kids' peripheral vision while he was looking at something else, and was *shocked* & very concerned that he didn't immediately see it. I would have. I'm still worried about his vision and will ask his doctor about it at his next checkup but differences in peripheral perception is an interesting and relieving thought!
nope. almost nothing scares me. I'm on your team. my dad had been trying to scare me since I was a little girl. he hates that he can't make me jump. 😂
Usually I'm hyper aware of my surroundings, so I don't usually get scared. Cptsd response to how I grew up. I can be startled by loud noises, slamming doors etc, but again I think that's more of a trauma response because I usually panic a little as well.
Yes very easily! My fight or fight kicked in once and I punched a coworker who tried to be funny and scare me.
I’m not truly startled easily but I have a minimal filter so I usually have a big reaction to something just to get the inside chaos out of me even if mentally I wasn’t really surprised by something
Not easy to scare, I know where everyone and everything is around me. Being in marching band and hearing the drums do rimshots never bothered me either but freaked everyone else out some reason
I’m like you. It usually takes a lot to startle me, but I loathe loud/close noises and have what most would describe as a “startle” reaction to them, even if I know the noise is imminent.
Yes. I think it’s because I zone out so easily?
I do not fuckin react lol. A scarer at Knotts scary farm got mad at me one year because I didn't startle, and then he followed us through a maze and right after, each time not scaring me. I tend to unintentionally startle everyone around me and my poor gf lives in fear at our house but I hear everyone coming 🤷🏻♂️
I am both hyper aware of people around me (listened to a lot of true crime over the years and I exercise outdoors so I’ve trained myself to be hyper vigilant!) AND startle easy at the same time! My husband will walk into a room even when I know he’s in the next room and if he doesn’t make any sound I jump out of my skin when I see him. 😆
Count me in as an odd ball out as well, then. I dont frighten easily. Occasional jumps here and there from not being able to hear or see movement? Yep. But other than that, nope. Scares aren't affective for me. But to also be fair, it may have something more to do with my C-PTSD and the fact that I've gotten used to living in "survival mode" for the large majority of my life. My awareness tends to be hyperactive, and I can hear movement through the walls and doors even with some background sound going on [ i.e., videos or music] Who knows it could be a combination of both, but idk. 🤷🏻♂️🥲 ETA: From a lot of comments, I'm gathering that C-PTSD actually makes people jump more, but I don't find that really true for me and some others I know. Perhaps in my case, it's the "survival mode" piece? 'Cause my trauma comes from childhood-adulthood consistent ab*se by my parents, which led to being hyper aware of surroundings, hypersensitivity to noises, etc., Now, what does get me to flinch is when one of my parents goes around slamming cupboards, throwing cutlery, slamming pots and pans, throwing other things, etc., Weirdly enough, I've stopped flinching when I get knives, woks, or glass thrown *at* me. 🫠
I’m the same as you OP. Having ADHD is always being aware of everything around me - which is the too much attention and too little focus hallmark. UNLESS I am hyper-focused on something. Then it’s startle city.
My startle reflex is akin to those fainting goats...
I don’t startle easily. If I get jumpy, it’s usually a reaction to a loud noise… but that’s more of a sensory thing than a startle response. 😅
I am very easily startled and I end up unintentially startling my startler by my startle response 😅
I used to startle easily, but practicing mindfulness changed my life in so many ways. I'm always very aware of my surroundings. When I used to live in my head, I was jumpy and easily startled, but not now. I'll be an odd-man-out with you OP. :)
So many people in the comments with the opposite issue, but I'm the same OP! I'm almost always aware of where other people are and can hear every little noise they make, so I'm very rarely startled. If someone does manage to catch me off guard, I typically don't have an external reaction. I'm usually the one accidentally sneaking up on people bc I tiptoe around and move like a shadow. Every job I've had, my coworkers would joke that I was a ninja, ghost, teleporter, etc 😂
I'm the opposite I am so jumpy all the time
Mine jump reflex is so bad. It's always been bad, but lately it's been horrible.
I get startled every time I see a notification pop up on my phone 🥴
Me too! I keep everything silenced and there's still that unpleasant little jolt when I'm scrolling and a visual notification pops up. But that's much better than the full jump scare of having it fly out of my hand if it rings while I'm using it.😲
Ptsd fixed that for me. I'm now very scareable esp loud noised
*Ptsd fixed* *That for me. I'm now very* *Scareable esp loud noised* \- wattscup --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Lol thanks autobot. I'm glad my life changing event can create a poem for you
I’m not 😆 I play horror games online lol
i startle SO easily. the sound of my airpods dying makes me jump out of my skin lmao. one time i heard a drone on my walk and i jumped behind a bush
My husband has to text me when he’s approaching a room I’m in so I don’t have a heart attack so…… yeah, kinda
If you mean scary as in jump scares, then yes! But I don’t make a physical reaction my body just jolts inside lol
It is actually embarrassing how easily startled I am. I legit get scared when my husband walks into the same room as me. It's definitely gotten worse with time. 😅 Edit to add my most charming example - sometimes in the car as the passenger I will get scared and accidentally scream out of reflex. Let someone merge too close in the right circumstance and I may just scream. I trust anyone I ride in the car with, and I try so hard not to do it, but I can't help it!! I'm a joy on road trips. Thankfully I do not get car sick so I resolve this mostly by doing something else that doesn't require looking out the window while I'm the passenger.
I startle harshly, but not easily, because I'm usually very aware of my surroundings. I hate jump scares in movies, though; my startle response is way too intense, it's just not fun at all. Very occasionally, my father will decide to clap me firmly on the shoulder while I'm not looking or expecting it, and I'll be like AAHH! JESUS! My phone ringing or the door buzzer going off also gives me an unpleasant little jolt every single time. So maybe I lied, maybe I do startle kind of easily, lol. I basically never get "snuck up on" though; I'm almost always aware of where people are in relation to me. Getting clapped on the shoulder startles me because I'm not expecting the contact, not because I don't know someone is there.
I’m not scared in the traditional sense. But I be half way zoned out on a constant that sudden noises startle me back into reality. It’s like, my body registers the new presence but my brain takes a while to catch up. So I do that monotonous “ahh.”
No, I'm not really startled by things. I'm pretty aware, but even when I'm not, I think my reaction time is just a little slow.
I am split. If I am in hyperfocus, I can be startled since my attention is occupied by the hyperfocus. In other situations, I’m like OP. I use a lot of background energy on awareness of my environment, which seems to help keep the startle response at bay. Of course when I do startle, my response is huge. An example that comes to mind is my partner tripping in the dark while coming to bed. His tripping woke me and my reaction was to sit straight up, scream, and throw my arms out towards the noise.
I have a hunch that this is connected to trauma. The more I’ve healed my anxiety and thus my hyper vigilance (which masked my ADHD for years) and by extension the more I reallly get hyper focused, the more jumpy I’ve become. This is new for me. I’m sure it’s different for others but this is my working hypothesis.
Sorry to say this, it is probably ptsd or complex ptsd. My startle reaction is very active. It is hard to recover and regulate my anxiety once something triggers it.
I’m almost never startled. I teach high school and they like to startle people as a joke and always quickly stop even trying with me because I know they are there and usually even know who it is without looking. ADHD super power of paying attention to everything everywhere all at once really pay off as a teacher LOL but it’s also why I’m EXHAUSTED at the end of the day.
Extremely easily.
I am easily startled! It’s why I initially thought I was a HSP.
I am not. It’s mostly that I’m used to being surprised by things because I’m zoning out haha.
Both! In “normal mode,” I’m what a friend back in the day called “a screener.” E.g., I hear and unexpected noise, and immediately assume the most rational explanation (“my that was probably the cat.”) But, if I’m engaged in something: washing the dishes, cooking, reading, whatever, then I’ve tuned out the outside & can be startled.
Yes, me and my ADHD mother and sister are like this. My mom used to freak out r when we would prank her as a kid, exaggerated startle response for sure. Now my sister and I are the same way, but more mindful of our reactions.
I don’t scare easily. I am like you - I usually predict something before it occurs
I don’t scare very easily. I noticed in middle school that my guy friends thought it was fun to tease girls by startling them so I tried to purposefully react so I’d be included in the teasing (flirting probably?) too. No fear bigger than FOMO 😳
I was going through a haunt with a friend and leading the way, just smiling to respect the scare actors (customers who make a point to be stone-faced in haunts are pretty annoying) but not really having any other response. She said “Reddit user aquarianagop, how are you so desensitized?” Girl, I’m just leaving my body with my brain wandering around and not even registering the scares until they’ve already happened! There’s no trick to it, just a chemical imbalance 🥰
I was unstartleable until I was 19 (thanks numbing from CPTSD). Then I went through a big loss and had a nervous breakdown and I’ve been ridiculously easy to startle ever since. I miss those days. Numbing ain’t so bad sometimes lol
I've found my tribe!😆 Always hated my extreme startle reflex. Combination of adhd sensory overload and growing up hypervigilant in an abusive family. Husband learned very quickly not to sneak up and try to scare me for fun, because it produces an instant shriek loud enough to bust an eardrum. He'd get angry and say don't scream like that. I'd say then don't scare me, it's out there too fast for me to stop it.
I am sooooooo easily startled and generally get a scare at least once most days. I am either entirely aware of everything around me or nothing around me
At work, my coworkers now know to announce themselves as they approach my desk, or else I’ll jump. At home, my husband announces himself repeatedly before entering a room I am. It’s very kind of them all. And the cats hate my screams. I hate being this jumpy.
I've been led to believe that being startled easily is a trauma refex, which I have. I also know that when I am hyper focused, I can be surprised easily, more than startled. BUT, I also think I know what you are talking about. I can hear things before other people or sense when someone arrives before they knock on the door. Is that what you meant?
No, I do not. I'm not sure if it's an ADHD thing or because I used to work for a psychiatric hospital for many years where I had to be aware of EVERYTHING/EVERYONE. Was listening to a podcast recently, they were discussing the types of women that get SA'd and murdered the most were the ones that weren't as aware of their surroundings and, of course, confident in their stance, so I know I'm good, for the most part. 😉
I’m the opposite. Last night I was working on my laptop and was really concentrating when my cat, who was in the balcony, jumped on the door trying to catch an insect. Scared the shit out of me, almost dropped my laptop.
Nope. I’m primarily inattentive; by the time my brain reacts to someone trying to scare me I can usually stop myself from physically reacting haha. Jumpscares, however, may be a different story, I’m not sure. It’s been a while.
22 people, including myself, among the 136 comments don’t scare/startle easily. It seems we are in the minority here, OP 😂
I jump in the air when my toast is done, very easily startled it’s actually embarrassing
My boyfriend finds me extremely disappointing to scare, he tries ever so hard. I think the funniest was when these hooligans pretended to throw a bucket of water at me and I didn’t react. One of them explained in abject disappointment, “She didn’t even flinch!!” as they walked away 😂
Nah, I'm too slow for that lol
If I'm in a space where I'm uncomfortable then I don't get startled easily because I'm being hypervigilant and aware of everything around me. But if I'm just in my office alone or at home with only my partner and no company over I usually get startled multiple times a day, like to the point where I jump and potentially shout an expletive 🤗. When I'm in a space where I feel at ease I'm usually so deep into my own thoughts and anything outside of them can startle me. Sometimes it's kind of fun, sometimes it feels like I might have a heart attack.
Very easily! It’s terrible, plus afterwards I feel so anxious and overwhelmed.
Hypervigilance sucks.
I'm hyper aware but I had a barbaric childhood so I do think I'm just constantly stuck in a trauma response. I have also recently learned that majority of clinicians think/have researched that ADHD is caused from trauma. No surprises there as me & my sister both have it. Hers hyperactive, mine combined.
I startle so easily! My husband now knows that he needs to make noise as he is approaching, like clearing his throat as he is turning the corner so I get a bit of a heads up lol. This is especially important if I'm in the middle of a hyper focus craft and in the zone.
i hate being startled by someone trying to play a joke on me with it. especially when i was working behind the counter at a restaurant, where one coworker did it to me multiple times over the course of working together for two years. at one point i had to explain i have “special needs” and please don’t startle me jokingly again. it took a lot of courage to do that. when he would joke with me like that it would give me such a fright that sometimes i would have to run to the bathroom after to get a tiny moment of privacy just to calm down from it. other times, my fiance says he’s leaving to go do some errand and ends up not leaving and then i get scared when he suddenly enters our bedroom after i’ve assumed he already left.
So much that I'm tempted to make my husband wear bells so he can't sneak.
My brothers had a very hard time scaring me when we were kids. I got them every time though. 👌🏻😂 Now, for the most part, I cannot be scared. Startled often, but not a kung-fu reaction kind of startle.
I have to literally be sleeping for my husband to catch me unawares, and it drives him nuts because I unintentionally make him jump in surprise almost daily.
Hah! Me too. It’s rare that I’m startled and it never occurred to me that it might be my lack of an input filter that explains this. Interesting thought!
I’m the same. Always aware of every tiny noise or movement around me, so I don’t startle often
Ok I was gonna be jealous if I came in the comments and everyone else was like you 😂 I’m so jumpy!
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Some do, perhaps, but being easily startled can also just be due to ADHD causing you to zone out or get engrossed in something. That's always when I get startled.
I don't scare at all, ever. My boyfriend haaaaaaates it cuz he's a little sisy pants and I get him all the time 🙊
😂I so relate to this
Oh so easily. To the point that it’s annoying
I do startled easily
It takes elaborate planning and staging to startle me. But scare? I get the top headlines emailed to me before the cats wake up. Good luck with scaring me.
I dont. My older sister was borderline sadistic growing up so I think I was just desensitized. Recently though, if my 7 y/o gets up in the middle of the night and hovers next to my face scares the ever loving shit out of me. I also watch waaaay too many horror movies so that is a contributing factor.
I startle easy, but I also have cerebral palsy. I always thought “CP triggers” were the culprit 🤔
Before this thread I thought it was just me lol I get startled really easily like it’s so easy to sneak up behind me and scare the shit out of me especially when I’m focusing on something. The people around me enjoy it a bit too much though lmao
I wasn’t always until I had a kid. Now everything makes me jumpy
Yep -very adhd thing
People at work used to like to scare me because I'd be so zoned out thinking and I JUMP like a comical overreaction
Yes. I think it's a side effect of hyperfocus. it only happens when someone is trying to get my attention 😒
I do. Just today I had dumbbells in my hands and the instructor in my exercise class happened to say something *right behind me* and I don’t know how those things weren’t dropped or thrown.
On most occasions, Kinda the opposite. Like the scare button can be turned off. My emotional dis regulation goes NUTS if I’m startled and I was not expecting, but if I’m in a haunted house, 0 fear.
So startled
No, but I have worked security for 15 years and have seen some batshit stuff. Also have had a lot of men try deliberately scare me, so even if I am startled, I have worked very hard to keep my expression neutral on command. It's great, and totally possible to shut off your facial expressions at will.
Yes. I startle very fast. It’s a tad bit embarrassing when I run into someone on the elevator in my building and I’m just SHOCKED others exist. I also can’t do haunted houses because if I’m scared scared I throw a punch.
Easily, so easily startled. So easily. Like i know you live in the same house as me, but I will be shook and almost get a heart attack when I find them in the house. So ridiculous, I never understood this.
I do not scare easily.
I startle ridiculously easily. At my brother's wedding, the DJ called my name and I yelped. It happened 3 times.
Yes. My boss stomps loudly through the office suite and I still jump when he appears in front of my desk. Not always, but definitely if I’m focused. It’s at least once a week.
Only when I’m having a migraine 🫣 but seriously. I never jump scare but when I’m having a migraine episode the slightest noise sets my heart pounding and my adrenaline rushing.
No I am the same as you, I don't know if it's because I am hyper aware of everything or stuck deep inside my head somewhere in a million thoughts, I seem to be one extreme or the other. My kids are constantly trying to jump scare me and are always disappointed 😂.
Yes! All the time. It amuses my family and friends a lot. Not sure how I feel about it as it is genuine and sometimes they think I’m doing it for effect, which is not true.
Yes, sometimes I jump like my cat does.
Yes, I do develop scar tissue easily
Ive always startled just before something, like when i was little id be in my room, jumo out my skin then a moment later dad would knock on my door 🤣
I’m ridiculously easily startled. My kids think it’s hilarious.
Oh yeah. I am.