Empathic Burnout and Empathy Overload, and Finding Your Kindness and Composure after a Series of Bad Life Situations

Surviving Empathy

In this episode I talk about Empathic Burnout and Empathy Overload, and the differences and similarities between them. Empathic burnout being when an energetically sensitive person has reached their limit of compassion and kindness, and starts getting overwhelmed and triggered, changing their energy from good to bad. Empathy overload is when we care so much about another person or their problems that we start taking it on as our own. How do we manage our emotions when we just start to care too much for something that really doesn't directly involve us? In the past couple of weeks Rebecca and I have been reeling from just too much stuff, too much nonsense, and too many bad things and negative feelings of life feeling unkind, unwinnable, and insurmountable, as a result my topics have been a little bit more irreverent and "attitudinal" than usual.
But I wanted you guys to see that even empaths get upset from time to time, and that it's perfectly natural to allow yourself to get upset, to feel anger and frustration, and to vent about these things, as it's all a part of the natural process of dealing with grief and turmoil. But we must eventually turn things back around to arrive back in a good place energetically and emotionally once again. I'm not ashamed to show you guys when I'm feeling sadness, anxiety, frustration, impatience, or despair. Social pressure tries to force us to want to bottle all these things up, as to not cause a scene or have people judge us. But at the end of the day, it's much better to process these things head on, in a direct and candid way, than to let these things build up over time, turning you into a pressure cooker that's about to explode. I want you guys to know and see that I haven't lost my good nature, my kindness, my gentle heart, or my empathic sensibilities, but there will always be times when we get downright tired people and things, and are forced to take a stand. But eventually, once we've processed our anger, fear, frustration, and grief, we must compose ourself to arrive back in a place of balance, to recapture our joy and happiness, and get back to our usual kind and giving self. To recapture our energy of empowerment, joy, and calm.
We can all go through these "negative" emotions, but we should never allow social pressure to feel guilt or shame about that, assuming we didn't hurt anyone. But afterwards, we must start the healing process, to get back to our kindness and compassion, before it callouses our heart for good. It's one thing to toughen up, it's quite another to become a lesser version of ourself, to let that big bad world our there change us and damage us to the point we lose something integral about ourselves. To become mean spirited and empty inside, all to protect our guarded and wounded heart. We must not lose ourselves just because the worlds is sometimes harsh and unkind. We must find ways to process our emotions, then allowing those emotions to inform our decision making, so that we can continue improving, to live an emotionally healthier life. To continue moving forward rather than get stuck or risk moving backwards and regressing, making our life less empowered and balanced.

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