There was a time in my life when I felt responsible for the emotional pain of others. I felt that if I didn’t share their burden, I was not a good human.
Some people are more sensitive to the emotions of others.
We’re referred to as highly sensitive people, empaths, or clairsentients.
In my work with clients, I find that the most sensitive person in the family ends up carrying the emotional burden of their parents and ancestors.
This is a heavy responsibility we are not meant to bear. But, it falls to us sensitive folks to do the best we can do to navigate through life balancing on the precarious edge of sensitivity.
It can be a blessing or a curse – and often it’s both.
For my fellow travellers walking this edge, here is what I have learned so far.
- It’s worth it to learn how to be present in the pain of others without taking it on. You can offer to hold the hurting person in your arms without holding their emotions in your heart.
- It can be confusing to tease apart which emotions are genuinely yours and which belong to someone else. Sitting in silence and tuning into your body helps.
- You are not responsible for the pain of others – practice empathy over sympathy.
- Staying mentally healthy and emotionally in tune is a never-ending process.
- You don’t need to wait until the people around you are out of pain so you can feel peace. You can feel it right now.
- Don’t numb out. In the long run, it makes the pain worse.
- Every day, lift the emotions of others off your heart – they don’t belong to you, and you were never meant to carry them.
Sending love to the sensitive souls,
