Do you often feel like you’re removed from the interests of others your same age or just not in sync with today’s world? Do you just not get why the world is the way is? If this sounds like you and you are unsure why some of today’s trends or popular pastimes are such attractions for the people of today’s world, you very well might be an old soul.

Some people believe that an old soul means you’ve carried your soul into this lifetime from a past life. The general view of an old soul, however, is that you are in this world while not necessarily of it.

Whether or not a past life comes into play or whether you are simply mature beyond your years, see if some of them ring true for you.

Here are 12 Signs You’re an Old Soul

1. You enjoy solitude.

You like the person you are alone with – yourself. You use self time to examine deeper meanings about life experiences. You use alone time to fuel your own growth in life’s journey and to understand yourself better. You are introspective and maybe even introverted. You engage in deep thought.

2. You know about people.

You may be amazingly in tune to an eternal reality, and are often highly sensitive to those around you and to things and circumstances. You know there is greater meaning to life beyond what goes on in our day-to-day world. Because of this, you are in tune on a different level. You are able to read people.

This skill often helps you in holding empathic space for those going through difficulties. Even when they don’t express their issues outright, you just know. You have a gut-level feeling and you’re most often correct.

3. You have a ‘feeling’ about what works.

While you are often open to the ideas of others, you also just have a way of knowing what works and what doesn’t. You have been known to say things like “I have a feeling” with respect to the way something will work out. You may not be able to explain it by simply saying, “I just know!”

Likewise, sometimes – oftentimes – the old-fashioned way of doing things works best for you and no new innovation is required. For example, you may find your peers becoming stressed about keeping track of their to-do list on multiple devices while your list-keeping on sticky notes works very well for you.

4. You give great advice.

Your intuitive and mature nature make you well equipped with giving good advice when called upon. You sometimes even surprise yourself at the advice you give.

Others will often comment to you give great advice. It’s like you’ve been through their experience before, even though you may not have.  People come to you because they know your advice is powerful and your solutions work. Because of this, you are trusted by many.

5. Even strangers feel free to talk with you.

Your presence inspires others to share what’s on their mind with you, somehow sensing you would have compassion and wisdom, and generally be a good listener.

Of course, people other than strangers – such as your close friends and co-workers – feel this way about you as well.

6. As a child, you may have preferred mature company and activities.

As a kid, you often enjoyed spending time with adults. Oftentimes, adults were more interesting to you than your peers. Not only did you enjoy this time with older individuals, but you valued this time greatly and used it as a means by which to broaden your character and the depth of your knowledge. You loved their stories and their wisdom.

Similarly, you often liked more “adult-like” activities, such as sitting, reading, talking or having coffee or tea. It’s not that you didn’t do things with your peers or enjoy child-like fun, its just that you became more alive in your soul in the company of adults and in doing more mature activities.

7. You view life event in a different way from most others.

You instinctively sense that the way most people look at how to live life, seek prosperity and work through relationships is not your way of doing it. As mentioned above, you see life and people intuitively and live your life on the basis of hidden meanings that they won’t see readily.

At times you find yourself feeling somewhat separate from that kind of existence, as if you are sharing physical space with them but not the same reality. At the same time, you don’t necessary qualify your existence as better or inferior, simply different.

8. You are able to forgive easily.

You are able to have an empathic understanding of what motivates certain behaviors in individuals even if it has been hurtful to you. Not only does this help your own relationships, but when others are struggling with their relationships, they may seek your advice and trust.

9. Your musical tastes may not reflect what is normal for your age group.

You may enjoy musical styles for decades or before you were ever born. You are less than intrigued by today’s pop music (with the occasional exception). It’s not that you hate it, it just doesn’t have a great appeal for you.

10. You stress less.

You resist the inclination of the world around you to stress out over the pressures of the day. While many around you respond to life’s demands with a great deal of stress and are pulled into the clamor, your instincts will cause you to seek calm and quiet to collect your thoughts. This enables you to simply stress less and find greater peace.

11. You have a love of learning.

You love the knowledge you gain from learning. It isn’t the degree, or the educational advantages that appeal to you the most but what that knowledge means in terms of integrating it into how you view life and live it.

12. You prefer establishing in depth relationships.

Casual chit chat isn’t appealing to you but meaningful conversation and learning about people as members of the human family you are a part of, is of great interest to you. And the more involved the friendship becomes, the deeper can be your exploration of the meaning of life. And you will be inclined to give yourself wholly to that connection.