Problems of Highly Empathetic People
Some individuals often describe themselves as highly empathetic. While empathy can be a valuable trait, excessive empathy can become problematic and lead to a variety of emotional and psychological difficulties.
Let’s define what we mean by excessive empathy. This occurs when an individual’s ability to feel and understand the emotions of others becomes so overwhelming that it interferes with their own emotional well-being. For example, a highly empathetic person may take on the emotional pain of a loved one to the point that it disrupts their own functioning, causing feelings of sadness, anxiety, or even depression.
One way to distinguish healthy empathy from excessive empathy is to consider the impact it has on your own emotions and behavior. Healthy empathy allows you to understand and connect with others while still maintaining your own emotional boundaries. Excessive empathy, on the other hand, can leave you feeling emotionally drained, stressed, or overwhelmed.
So what can you do if you struggle with over-empathy? Here are some practical solutions:
Set boundaries: It’s important to establish healthy boundaries between yourself and others. While empathy can be helpful, you don’t need to take on the emotional pain of others as your own. Instead, listen, support, and offer guidance where appropriate, but also prioritize your own emotional needs.
For example, if you have a friend who often shares their problems with you, it’s okay to set limits on the amount of time and energy you can devote to listening to them. You can express your needs respectfully, saying something like, “I care about you and want to support you, but I’m feeling overwhelmed and need to take some time for myself right now.”
Practice self-care: Taking care of your own emotional and physical needs is key, especially if you tend to put the needs of others ahead of your own. Engage in activities that help you relax and feel energized, such as exercising, meditating, reading, hugging yourself, or spending time with friends.
Seek support: If you are struggling with excessive empathy and it is affecting your quality of life, seeking support can be helpful.
Another aspect of excessive empathy is the tendency to neglect your own needs and desires in favor of others. This can lead to feelings of anger, burnout, and even physical health problems.
To overcome this, it is important to learn to prioritize your own needs and desires. This can include setting personal goals, pursuing hobbies and interests, and learning to say no when necessary.
For example, if you are a highly empathetic person who often sacrifices your own needs for the good of others, it may help to make a list of your goals and desires. This could include things like taking classes, pursuing hobbies, or spending more time with friends. Once you’ve identified your priorities, commit to making them a priority.
It’s also important to recognize that over-empathy can lead to enabling behaviors, where you allow others to continue negative patterns of behavior by avoiding conflict or refusing to set boundaries. Enabling behaviors can be harmful to both you and others, as they prevent growth and change.
To overcome enabling behaviors, it’s important to recognize when you’re helping someone and learn to set boundaries in a loving and respectful way. This may involve having a difficult conversation with a loved one about their behavior or seeking support from a therapist to develop healthy communication skills.
Ultimately, managing over-empathy requires a balance between caring for others and caring for yourself. By setting boundaries, practicing self-care, prioritizing your own needs and desires, and recognizing triggering behaviors, you can develop a healthy relationship with empathy that will benefit both you and those around you.
*Keywords: Problems of highly empathetic people, psychotherapy, somatic experiencing therapy, psychotherapist Zagreb, gestalt therapy
*Photo: GettyImages
*Contact: Make an appointment
*For companies: Creative Director
