"Remember the last time you walked into a room and immediately felt the tension? For highly empathetic people, this isn't occasional; it's constant. They don't just notice when someone's upset; they actually feel it in their bones. I once interviewed a nurse who described it perfectly: "When a patient is anxious, my heart starts racing too. When a colleague is frustrated, I feel that knot in my stomach as if it's my own frustration." This emotional absorption happens automatically, without any conscious effort."
"Have you ever felt completely drained after a coffee date with a friend who was going through a tough time? Or found yourself lying awake at night, replaying someone else's problems in your head as if they were your own?"
"The real struggle isn't just feeling these emotions; it's trying to separate what belongs to you and what you've picked up from others. Imagine trying to solve your own problems while simultaneously carrying the emotional weight of everyone around you. It's exhausting, and most people have no idea it's even happening."
Highly empathetic people frequently feel drained after interacting with others and often replay other people's problems in their own minds. Empathetic people absorb others' emotions automatically and intensely, sometimes feeling physical reactions like racing hearts or stomach knots. Separating personal feelings from emotions picked up from others presents a constant challenge. Carrying others' emotional weight while handling personal concerns leads to exhaustion. Saying no often triggers crushing guilt for empathetic people, increasing stress and overcommitment. Many empathetic individuals struggle silently because others rarely recognize the invisible emotional labor they perform daily.
Read at Silicon Canals
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]