I have received numerous requests to create a piece on how to stop picking up other people’s emotions. In this blog post, I will be discussing the following topics:
- How to tell when you have picked up someone else’s emotions
- The three main reasons why it happens
- What you can do to prevent it from happening
First of all, you can tell when you have picked up someone else’s emotions when you experience an emotion that you can’t explain the source of. For example, if you feel sad after interacting with someone who is sad or feel angry after an interaction with someone who was angry. Another sign is feeling overwhelmed by an emotion that is too big to handle. This is often a sign that you have picked up someone else’s emotions.
The three main reasons why we pick up other people’s emotions are:
- Misguided effort to help: Humans have a natural desire to help others and make them happy, but taking on someone else’s emotions only doubles the amount of that emotion in the world.
- Unhealthy boundaries: We often want to solve someone else’s problems, but this can actually make things worse and is not helpful for the person who is experiencing the problem.
- Respecting boundaries: It’s important to remember that the person experiencing the problem is the only one who can solve it. As a professional, I can give suggestions, but I must respect that they are the master of their own lives.
It’s important to recognize the signs that you have picked up someone else’s emotions and to understand the reasons why it happens. By setting healthy boundaries, respecting the boundaries of others, and recognizing that we can only control our own emotions, we can prevent this from happening. Remember to always respect the strength of others and give them the space to work through their own issues.
