How we feel in a big crowd depends a lot on how the crowd is feeling | Choosing your company wisely and what to do when you can't

The way I feel in a big crowd directly relates to how the majority of the crowd are feeling. Human beings are designed to be entrained with the nervous systems of those around them. When someone else feels joyful our nervous system aims to match that other person's emotional state. Higher vibrations entrain lower vibrations; that is, if you feel good you'll lift others up. And in this case, if the crowd feels good they'll lift you up.

(Photo by Kyle Smith)

But lower vibrations or heavier emotional states (same thing) will trigger this in us also. Especially if we're in a big crowd and everyone around us is feeling angry or sad or overwhelmed, then it can feel almost impossible not to get dragged down by the weight of those around you.

Picking the crowds we allow ourselves to hang out in matters, precisely for the reasons I've just mentioned. How others are feeling/vibe-ing matters because it affects us.

Ideally we'd consciously choose every crowd we find ourselves in but that's not always possible (as you know if you're an introvert who ever decided to fly anywhere; you can't pick whose inside the airport or on the plane with you). But what is within our control is to practise mindfulness and do so regularly.

The more we practise this skill of being present with what we're feeling emotionally and physiologically (i.e. in our physical body) the easier it will be when we're in a crowd of people who aren't as happy as we were before we arrived. If we can stay really present to how we are feeling inside our own body we can maintain a better feeling emotion and transmute what others around us are experiencing. This gives them an option to feel better too, just by us being willing to be with what is inside our own being.

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The crowds we spend time in matters to our physical, mental and emotional well being. Here are some examples of crowds and what I'm guessing that most of these people are feeling (based on how I feel when I look at these photos).

Anyone in this crowd might feel overwhelmed... (Photo by Amir Arabashi)

Meanwhile, these people probably feel bored, as they take their commute to a job they don't like... (Photo by Eddi Aguirre)

While these people probably feel excited as the listen to music and dance or move their bodies together... (Photo by Tijs Van Leur)

I imagine these people are feeling calm as they're absorbed in learning something new... (Photo by Samuel Pereira)

And finally, these people likely feel connected as they sing and pray together. (Photo by Kyle Smith)

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With 2 years or so of Covid varients travelling the globe, I know most of us haven't spent much time in crowds so I want to ask you this:

If you like being surrounded by a lot of people what kind of crowd are you looking forward to being in again?

A sports crowd at a game?
A big yoga class?
A packed out airport of people going somewhere new?

Tell me in the comments: If you like crowds, what's the crowd you're looking forward to being in again and how does it make you feel when you're in that crowd?

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{This started out as a 5 minute daily writing prompt on "big crowd" and evolved into something much bigger once I got started 😂 If you like the idea of being given a prompt to write on for 5 minutes (ahhm!) then check out Marianne West's posts (like this one) in the Freewriters Community.}