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I'm not necessarily a tense person, but whenever a bird or a ball or something is coming towards me, I squeeze my eyes shut and turn away. It's really embarrassing, especially when it doesn't even come anywhere near me. IIN?
You flinch because you expect it to hit you...thats normal lol. Im not gonna say much more cause I dont know if you just have terrible depth perception or if youre just timid and all this random shit so yeah its normal you know what I do when that happens? I just go balls to the walls and make a full out scene about it lookin like im in vietnam over pillow feather or somethin. it makes people laugh its all good who cares lol
You make me feel so much better! I jump SO easily and it makes me feel stupid if someone sees me do it. Especially because there are a lot of turns in the hallway in my house, and whenever someone walks up to me I get really startled. I can't help it. ):
Same here, I always flinch at any object suddenly traveling at a fast speed toward me. Even if it's my boyfriend fucking with me, and I'm expecting his fist to fly and stop inches from me. It just, happens. Also embarrassing for me, haha, but hey it's who I am. Nothing wrong with good reflexes, we'll last in survival situations!
yeah, same with me....it's kinda bothersome, really. for example, i could be forking a piece of chicken, and when it falls on my plate i flinch like i expect the whole thing to splatter on my face. also, i've been hit in pe a lot, during basketball. mostly when throwing the ball into the basket. it rebounds. me face...HURT SO MUCH.
OP - That could be it, particularly if it caught you by surprise. The human brain is a complex and amazing thing. If for some reason the incident really made an impression on you (no pun intended) then a neural pathway would have been formed and now whenever anything similar occurs, you react in the same way. If that's the case, you can work at it by having someone you trust throw harmless things (maybe soft foam balls or something) in your direction repeatedly (while you're ready for it, of course - not to scare you), until your negative reaction starts to die down. It's about correcting the response; teaching your brain that not everything that flies by will harm you.
If you imagine walking through the bush, you're likely to take the path that others before you have worn - but if you want to forge a new path, you have to work at it to begin with. Once that path has been made, however, you can walk down it whenever you want without trouble. The brain's neural pathways work in a similar fashion, and so you can "reprogram" yourself if you want to. Just as in the case of bushwalking, the first efforts will be harder, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. It might be something to consider if your flinching is causing you problems.
If it's not the frisbee incident, there might be something deeper at work. I suffered PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as the result of a very violent childhood and was a flincher for years. There are many people who block out trauma in order to cope (though in my case, there was never a chance; it was ongoing). If you suspect something more serious, you really do need the help of a professional psychologist or the like. Such issues are often very difficult to deal with on your own, but they CAN be helped.
I hope my thoughts are of some use to you. :)
I don't think it's normal per se, but it might be normal in your case. How long has this been going on, and did it begin after a particular incident? If you've been hurt or injured in the past by something that was essentially a projectile, I think your reaction to things flying by now, is normal. If not, then I'd say it's not normal. If you've done this for as long as you can remember, ask a family member if there was such an incident. It could simply have been going on so long that it's now your automatic reaction. Good luck! :)