An empathetic person, like myself, has the ability to step into the shoes of another person, aiming to understand their feelings and perspectives. You essentially have the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
This image show what the signs are of being an empathetic person. That is me in a nutshell. They are all true and I have experienced every one of them. I experience these with every interaction I have with a person. It doesn't matter if I just met them or if I have known them a lifetime.
The last few days I have been experiencing emotions that are making me physically ill. I know why, I know I should control it but it's so hard. It's hard to just turn this off - honestly I don't even know if it's something I can turn off. I sure didn't turn it on.
I love being an empathetic person when I'm being a healer, have deeper conversations with people and feel everything more deeply and compassionately....but the other characteristics of this are so intense and emotionally draining that it's hard to live with them.
Since finding out I have HD and have started having my own mental and cognitive issues I've noticed that being empathetic is causing my minor symptoms to intensify. So what was once a little tick is now constant or if it was once a small obsession it's larger...things like that...really any symptom can intensify with stress.
Michael, my husband, said that I needed to start taking care of me, he's concerned about my symptoms as well as my well being in general as he's been there for all of my ups and downs. For me that was something I have never done. Take care of me? How? I just started building my confidence and along with that does change my ability to stand up for myself and in some cases walk away from the situations. However, it's still a part of me. I have worn so many emotions and have felt and experienced so many fears and anguish that it's interwoven into the person I am today.
I’m sharing this because I've recently learned to take negative people out of my life or to try and be mindful that I am not them and that I have a good life.
So if you are an empathetic person, remember to breathe, remember to take time for you, take time to clear your head from others emotions and negativity. Do what you need to do to make your life and mind healthy.
