13 surprising things that probably make you an old soul

We hear people referred to as “old souls” quite often, but what does that even mean? When we speak of old souls, we mean those individuals who’ve lived many lives and experienced many transformations, even if they can’t remember them. 

Old souls gather experience and spiritual insight through their many soul journeys. Their values are formed by the cumulative wisdom accrued over many incarnations. 

Most old souls have known they are “different” since childhood. When they’re young, old souls are acutely, often painfully aware that their outlook is unusual,  especially when compared to their peers. 

Old souls have developed a level of understanding that far exceeds what most others can imagine, never mind comprehend.

1) Material possessions don’t matter much to you

Old souls have belongings they cherish like anyone else, but their value is usually sentimental rather than monetary. If you’re an old soul, you don’t associate happiness with cash or possessions. That’s just stuff. 

You’re satisfied with enough resources to meet your needs and maybe a little for a rainy day. Instead of seeking financial success, old souls prefer to expend their energy on less transient pursuits. 

Having the newest tech gadgets before anyone else doesn’t interest you, either. You’re the sensible, thrifty sort who uses things until they die in the saddle. 

Fancy clothes, expensive cars, and luxury vacations are all nice if that’s what you’re into. But old souls find greater value in intangibles like compassion, knowledge, and alone time.   

2) Needing a lot of time alone

People with old souls are highly attuned to the energies of other people. This barrage of competing energies can be very draining, especially when you’re dealing with large groups. 

Intense people-ing can be challenging for old souls, to say the least.

Since old souls are more sensitive to outside energy, you may need time to recharge and rejuvenate after social encounters. So, if you find yourself completely wrung out and craving isolation after a party, that may be your old soul asserting itself. 

Most old souls are more comfortable as observers in social situations. You like to watch the group dynamics from the sidelines and not interact very much.

Here’s my favorite reason why old souls are happiest in solitude: they  have very active, very vivid imaginations and can entertain themselves easily. If you’re an artist, writer, or voracious reader I’m sure this resonates.

During your precious alone time, you are free to indulge your creative pursuits and get lost in your thoughts without fear of judgment or interruption.

Another solitary activity beloved of many old souls is reading. Judging by the number of bookcases in my house, I’d say this isn’t my soul’s first rodeo. 

Reading about history probably fascinates you, especially certain time periods. 

Might this be because you lived during those eras in past lives? 

Some may perceive you as distant, distracted, or even out of touch with reality, but that’s how empaths with old souls are often perceived.   

3) Extreme empathy

Empathy, which is the ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” affords you a sense of perspective and maturity many younger souls still lack. 

And lucky them, because the emotional distress caused by intensely feeling the world’s pain is a weight on your shoulders that might prove difficult to bear at times.

Old souls have heightened sensitivity, which can make conflict and confrontation challenging and even upsetting for them. 

This leaves you even more apt to pull away, keep to yourself, and enjoy a mainly solitary, nature-based existence with only a few carefully chosen companions. 

Does this sound familiar? 

4) Meaningful connections only, please

Old souls are selective and often have small social circles. Even still, your friend group tends to be diverse, including people of all ages from different backgrounds.

That strong intuition old souls possess helps you recognize when someone would make a great friend, or already has been a great friend in another lifetime. 

If you were an old soul from a troubled family, you were probably wise beyond your years. This is particularly true if you had to assume an adult role at home. 

I was responsible for the care of two much younger brothers, which curtailed a lot of normal preteen shenanigans.  

But one or two of your pals were probably cool with it (like mine were), so you learned to prioritize friendships with those who understood and supported your situation. 

And, in return, your friends received the benefit of great advice. 

5) You give good advice

Old souls have a knack for saying the exact right thing at the exact right time. Because of this gift and your off-the-charts capacity for empathy, people come to you for guidance. 

Old souls don’t play with people’s lives. They provide their confidants with carefully-thought-out responses tailored to their situation. No generic, one-size-fits-all platitudes here.  

Some people believe that old souls were born at the wrong time. After catching up on the news and current trends, you probably agree. 

6) You feel like you were born in the wrong time

I loved growing up in the 1970s, but I never felt like I belonged there. It felt like a nice place to visit and the music was great, but my heart and soul cried out for home, even though I wasn’t sure where that was. 

I was obsessed with Ancient Greece, Tudor England, and Silent Era Hollywood. These were probably times and places my soul had journeyed to before. 

The other kids didn’t share my fascination. They preferred listening to KISS and riding their big wheels.

Being an old soul rocks, but it can also be lonely. Not many kids are capable of nostalgia at 10, but I was. Were you?

7) Nostalgia gives you life 

Even when you were a kid, you bemoaned modernity preferring to reflect on the“good old days.” 

Oh, you say you weren’t alive during that era you’re so nostalgic about? 

Maybe you were alive back then, Old Soul. 

Maybe you were.

It would certainly explain your deep appreciation and longing for things of the past (pop culture, fashion, pace of life) and wishing that stuff was still in style. 

You see pictures of your grandmother wearing a super-cool cloche bucket hat in 1920 and feel a pang of familiarity – and even a little jealousy.

8) You feel accountable to your ancestors

Old souls feel a deep and abiding connection to their ancestors. If you are the keeper of the family graves and genealogy like I am, you feel honored to uphold their legacies and share their stories with the younger generations. 

It’s a sacred responsibility to make your ancestors proud and carry on the family lineage with dignity.

9) You vibe with older folks

You probably found it challenging to fit in with the kids your age and preferred the company of people decades older than you. 

You wanted more substance from your relationships than most young can emotionally handle, so you gravitated toward older adults.

When I was 17 years old, I began working as a nurse’s aide in a geriatric long-term care facility. I gravitated emotionally to my senior citizen patients as I had with my many great-aunts and great-uncles. 

As an old soul, I soaked up everything they told me like an adolescent sponge, and their wisdom has held me in good stead my entire life. It made me wise beyond my years.

10) Wise beyond your years

People usually can spot an old soul, even in the cradle. They call it being “wise beyond your years“. Those close to you innately know you’re no newbie soul. 

You can even recognize an ‘old soul’ as a newborn baby. Their eyes, filled with wisdom and a yearning for truth that belies their age, give them away. 

11) You ask the hard questions 

Old souls are, above all else, truth seekers.

Younger souls often struggle with this deep level of self-reflection, so it’s up to the older souls to help the younger souls along their journey of self-discovery and growth.

12) You see things from other points of view 

Old souls are very good at seeing the subtle nuances of every situation. They dismiss black-and-white thinking and putting themselves in someone else’s shoes is second nature. 

You won’t always agree with the person but as an old soul, you’ll find it’s relatively easy to see things from their perspective. 

13) Returning home 

Old Souls often describe themselves as feeling like outsiders looking in that don’t belong in this world, or this time period. I know I have felt this to be true many, many times in my life.  

Most Old Souls long for a sense of true meaning, and a home they can’t quite put their finger on. There’ll be moments when it feels tantalizingly close, only to slip away into the ether once more.

But they know one day they’ll return back home, and that lost piece of the puzzle will be put back into place.