Healthy Empathy

For some people, empathy isn't just about putting themselves in others' shoes. It's about walking around in those shoes. Struggling to remove those shoes after a long day of work. Constantly feeling weighed down by how difficult it is for people wearing shoes different from their own.

But that kind of empathy, empathy without boundaries, is exhausting. Sometimes it becomes too overwhelming, being drained and burdened by the pains of this world. It's like sponging up the pain of each and every person until it magnifies rather than tones down.

Healthy empathy is about resonating with others' struggles but not carrying them along with you. You have to let go to keep going. It doesn't mean you have to disconnect from people: it's understanding their struggles and then letting go, because it's not right for them to become your burden.

You can be empathetic without letting it consume you.

-Oma from MANI