Wow how this post truly speaks to me. After reading I could feel my heart open, expand and take a well deserved sigh of relief.
I as well have lived as a very compassionate and empathetic gal. I would share everyone's tear, pain, poverty. But I never understood why or how to get out of it, lol!
What you wrote here has helped me more than you know..."I had to keep reminding myself that SHE was dying, not ME."
You're most welcome, Diane; and I'm very grateful to you for writing in and letting me know how you felt about this post!
In a world that contains a great many people who find empathy for others a difficult (even impossible) skill, it often seems that people who feel too much empathy either don't exist; are invisible; or worse, are constantly belittled for being "weak" or "too emotional." Enmeshment and enabling (psychological terms for a variety of behaviors that reveal overly loose emotional boundaries) are less discussed, and thus seemingly not real issues (or sadly, sometimes simply labeled "femininity"). Developing healthy boundaries (shaucha in Sanskrit) is an ongoing practice... and it certainly wasn't easy for me when I first started, though like most practices, we can all become more skillful over time.
I fervently believe that the world is in great need of role models who embody strong-but-still-permeable boundaries, and I suspect you're on your way to becoming just that kind of person! Thanks again for writing in and letting me know how this deeply personal post "landed."
Wow how this post truly speaks to me. After reading I could feel my heart open, expand and take a well deserved sigh of relief.
ReplyDeleteI as well have lived as a very compassionate and empathetic gal. I would share everyone's tear, pain, poverty. But I never understood why or how to get out of it, lol!
What you wrote here has helped me more than you know..."I had to keep reminding myself that SHE was dying, not ME."
Thank you,
Diane
You're most welcome, Diane; and I'm very grateful to you for writing in and letting me know how you felt about this post!
DeleteIn a world that contains a great many people who find empathy for others a difficult (even impossible) skill, it often seems that people who feel too much empathy either don't exist; are invisible; or worse, are constantly belittled for being "weak" or "too emotional." Enmeshment and enabling (psychological terms for a variety of behaviors that reveal overly loose emotional boundaries) are less discussed, and thus seemingly not real issues (or sadly, sometimes simply labeled "femininity"). Developing healthy boundaries (shaucha in Sanskrit) is an ongoing practice... and it certainly wasn't easy for me when I first started, though like most practices, we can all become more skillful over time.
I fervently believe that the world is in great need of role models who embody strong-but-still-permeable boundaries, and I suspect you're on your way to becoming just that kind of person! Thanks again for writing in and letting me know how this deeply personal post "landed."