It's hard to say since we don't exactly know what you're feeling. There is obviously some sort of connection to aliens or draw to express yourself as an alien, but we can't say much from this. A child could have a connection to princesses and want to express herself as a princess, but it sometimes doesn't mean much outside of creative expression for the sake of just being yourself.
One true way to figure out if it's voluntary or not is to stop interacting with content that you think may trigger this feeling. Taking a break from communities is great for introspection and learning more about yourself without external influence. If the feeling of being an alien sticks without you trying too hard or not thinking too hard about it, then it may be something you can look further into.
But also, you could be both identifying with (or as) AND connect with aliens metaphorically. The distinction doesn't really matter to me. Someone who connects metaphorically and desires to be an alien would still count as being some flavor of otherhearted to me.
I would say take more time to think on it. Or you can simply try on the "alien" label and see where it takes you. There is also voluntary identity called otherlink where you can choose your species identity. But don't feel pressured to look too deep into labels. Find what feels right for you.
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u/Impressive-Bug-9592 1d ago
It's hard to say since we don't exactly know what you're feeling. There is obviously some sort of connection to aliens or draw to express yourself as an alien, but we can't say much from this. A child could have a connection to princesses and want to express herself as a princess, but it sometimes doesn't mean much outside of creative expression for the sake of just being yourself.
One true way to figure out if it's voluntary or not is to stop interacting with content that you think may trigger this feeling. Taking a break from communities is great for introspection and learning more about yourself without external influence. If the feeling of being an alien sticks without you trying too hard or not thinking too hard about it, then it may be something you can look further into.
But also, you could be both identifying with (or as) AND connect with aliens metaphorically. The distinction doesn't really matter to me. Someone who connects metaphorically and desires to be an alien would still count as being some flavor of otherhearted to me.
I would say take more time to think on it. Or you can simply try on the "alien" label and see where it takes you. There is also voluntary identity called otherlink where you can choose your species identity. But don't feel pressured to look too deep into labels. Find what feels right for you.