May 27 2008
Expended
When a person is ultra sensitive to other’s feelings, pain and joy, they sometimes overload their own emotions. I understand in extreme cases, extremely empathetic people get physically ill - just hearing about someone else’s pain or trouble.
I do not suffer like the latter, thank goodness, but I do seem to have more empathy carried on my shoulders than some people do. It neither makes me special nor makes someone with less natural empathy towards others less special. It merely means I see things - make that feel things, a bit stronger than some people might.
On the joy end, it is great. I am probably able to live vicariously through your successes more than the average person, and it means I don’t need quite so many of my own, grin! On the other hand, combined with being an introvert by nature (don’t confuse with shyness, though I was both), it means I need to turn inward to rejuvenate, energize, and, in a sense, cast off much of what I unintentionally carry on my shoulders and in my heart.
My poetry often takes me inward enough. The past few weeks - it hasn’t, too much going on around me. I need to shut down a bit more for a day or two. Now, if I can just avoid the pastries with the tea and lemon…. Oh, I can, haven’t any….
