I believe in the good of most people. Maybe this view is idealist and maybe it’s the view I choose to lean into because I have hope.
However, no matter how many good people there are, there will always be those that thrive on chaos, destruction and cruelty and in that there will always be innocent people who will be greatly effected by those things.
Life is beautiful and it is a beautiful mess, and it is that beautiful mess that empathic people feel like a gut punch.
Defining Empathy
Before we go any further, let’s define empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another’s position.
If you are a person who holds of lot of empathetic trails then you might be an empath.
Let’s be clear that an empath does not resides in a single race, political party, gender, age, location or belief system. There are empaths in every walk of life, even people you don’t agree with can be deeply empathetic.
Empathy is not always easy to spot in people. Just because someone is empathetic does not mean they are kind, gentle and harmless.
We often associate empathy with those traits, however, just like any trait we carry there are degrees and various ways that it can manifest in our expressions and reactions as human beings.
Feeling of empathy can be very challenging.
Empathy can drive people into rage, depression, sadness and even suicide. Understand that being empathic can be hard on our human experience and can be hidden behind chaos, destruction and cruelty.
It does not make sense when we think about linking empathy with such traits, but they exist and understanding that they do can be helpful when navigating the world.
Remember that empaths typically “feel so much” so it can push them into overwhelm and each person experiences, reactions and adapts to those feelings in their own ways. Some learn in, others hide and other lash out.
If you are unsure if you are an empath here are 15 signs that you might be one
My guess is that if you are reading this article that you feel like you are empathetic, you know someone who is or you are generally worried about the state of the world – period. I am too, all of the above.
So, I am here to do my best to connect with you and create a sense of camaraderie so that you and others do not feel alone. It sure has been a tough time for many.
You Are Not Alone
In my heart, I felt this tug to call out into the night and yell “You are not alone and you will be okay.” to everyone who who is suffering but it felt so futile and that my words would not bring any real help that was needed.
In this moment we are dealing with a pandemic, deaths left and right, political discourse, war and the overall feeling that we are in some type of alternative universe that two years ago not you or I could have ever imagined being anything but a movie.
We stand together but so far apart as we all experience the desperation and drastic changes that have been thrown upon us without our consent.
We have had to make choices and think about things we never should have.
We have had our work and home lives torn apart and families ripped into pieces, fragmented by the chaos, confusion and polarizing views.
Many of us carry the belief that if you don’t believe what I do, then you are my enemy.
Sometimes empathy can be paralizing.
We then sit at home, hoping we can hold on long enough for things to go back to normal and they never do and never will. We are all new. We are all new people. The person you were 2 years ago does not exist.
And if you are empathetic, then you know just like I do that this had taken a toll. A toll that you have yet to calculate because you are still in survival mode like it or not.
As each day passes and the months collect on the calendar to form a year, you feel a heavier sense of dread over the mob sting time and casualties along the way. Those that have died and those parts of you and I that has also died with these changes.
There are things that we can of to care for ourselves and others. We don’t have to sit and watch the world pass us by in fear.
However, it is understandable to have fear and at times to feel paralyzed. Yet, there are ways that we can mobilize ourselves and take out fear, anxiety, depression, anger, etc and put it to good use.
How We Can Find Balance
Here are a few ways that you can work to balance yourself during these stressful times:
1. Use creativity to express you emotions.
Of course, if you know our website and what we do, you are not shocked to hear that as an option. It is important to always link ourselves back to a primordial urge to express ourselves. If we are feeling anxiety, we can do art, write a poem, write a blog (is that I am doing, this is why I am doing it) or feel flow in a journal.
2. Get outside in nature.
In parts of the world it is still very cold, however, bundle up and get out – even if just for 10 min. Take the dogs for a walk, walk around the look for natural items to us in your art and just look at up at the vast sky. If at night, star gaze and take in the moon.
3. Stay connected.
Find community where you live or connect online. We have a community on Facebook that many people find greatly supportive and connective. There are groups that focus on art, collecting certain items, learning tech or a foreign language, collecting dolls, etc. Community is so very important right now.
4. Stop watching the news.
Sure, it is good for us to know what is happening in the world. It is not right to turn a blind eye and ignore it. That would be negligent. However, we can work to limit and minimize out time keeping up to take with what is going on. A good way it looking at the news only once a day and picking a time that is best for you. For example, getting right out of bed and checking the news can set off stress for those of us that are innately anxious.
5. Join a cause.
Find something that you believe in and find a way to help. It can be as little as donating a cookie dollars, volunteering and showing up to help. Find ways to be a helper. A good quote to remember is “When you are nervous, think of service”.
6. Feel it and let is pass through you.
If it all feels bad, let it feel bad and stop judging it and to yourself. Nod you head in acceptance that “yes, you do in fact feel sad, upset, emotional, etc” and that is life. Let yourself know that feelings can’t hurt you and in time things will improve. Life is full of ups and downs. Everything can’t walls be good and nothing can always be bad. We live in shades of grey. Sometimes it is pitch black, other times it blinding white and other times it is a muted grey. Be willing to move through all those shades.
Conclusion
I hope some of these help. As we close this article I want to make sure that you know that you are cared for. That we understand that our suggestions are not the end all to what you can do to help and perhaps they do and perhaps they don’t. Each person is an individual having an individual experience and can find help in their own unique ways.
If you found this helpful, we would be honored if you would share with others so that is may help them too.
Take care of yourself. You are not alone.
0 Comments