As someone with a very empathetic personality, I have had
trouble my whole life with sort of absorbing other people’s pain and problems.
But this problem is not limited just to those of us who are somewhat overly
sensitive—emotional contagion is a
legit scientific term. You’ve seen it yourself: those people who seem to be
able to light up a room, that guy at work who is always cranky and brings the
whole office down, the increase in stress from just being present in an
airport. According to the very scholarly source, Wikipedia (lol), emotional
contagion is important to personal relationships because it fosters emotional
synchrony between individuals. A broader definition of the phenomenon suggested
by Schoenewolf is "a process in which a person or group influences the
emotions or behavior of another person or group through the conscious or
unconscious induction of emotion states and behavioral attitudes"
Now, while empathy and the ability to feel for those around
you is often a GOOD thing, it can be detrimental as well:
You know that one friend who always has some sort of drama?
That family member that just cannot be pleased?
The coworker that only ever complains?
Did you ever notice how being around these people affects
you? It can be super draining, right? One bad apple and all that. It can
seriously ruin your mood—even though nothing bad has actually happened to you.
This brings me to today’s meme:
It’s important to relate to the people in your life and to
be there for them. However, you’ve got to take care of yourself and your mental
well-being as well. You have to recognize the people bringing garbage to your
station and send them (politely if possible) on their way. A friend or family
member might need to share difficult emotions or situations with you, but that
doesn’t mean you should let them park them in your yard. You can’t take care of
anyone if you don’t take care of yourself. As they say, you can’t pour from an
empty cup.
This has been one of the most important lessons I've had to learn in an effort to be a function human.
ReplyDelete*Functional
DeleteSame, girl!
DeletePreach!
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