Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Sympathy

arfie
arfie

I believe the best place to look for sympathy is in the dictionary between "shit" and "syphillis." Offers of sympathy from others tend to make me feel hopelessly broken and defective. When I need sympathy, I isolate and throw myself a pity party. If ya needs a job done right, do it yourself and do it well enough that it only needs doing once. While I have learned the value of support in sorting through my psycho snot knots, sympathy still hits my senses like fingernails on a chalkboard. I want solutions far more than invitations to wallow in my problems.


Anybody else have problems accepting sympathy?

Community LeaderMid
Mid
I learned how to accept the words spoken in a kind way and to release my feelings in private in safe way.

It's hard to accept it, though, because our view is already full of anxiety methods to remain calm.
arfie
arfie
I mostly take sympathy as a cue to change the subject. Fair enough. I use it that way, too, when I've heard as much as I can tolerate of somebody else's woes. Sorry for your pain, friend. I care, but there is not allot I can do to help.

Weather we are having, isn't it?
OllieTree
OllieTree
I'll admit, most of the time when I'm confronted with other's problems I turn to some form of sympathy. I view that as a natural reaction, but I understand how it can feel derogatory for the receiving person. I think I use it as an invitation for the other person to tell me more. Because when I first know about these problems, I don't know enough to give any kind of helpful judgement or, god forbid, solution. Once I've allowed them to bounce sadness and wallowing off of me, I then begin to understand enough to offer advice. I'm reasonably sure that my conception of sympathy is the same as yours.
arfie
arfie
My most healing/stabilizing exchanges about my many handicaps are gently pragmatic with sensitivity for the sore spots while collaborating on plans of action for dealing with those sore spots. Platitudes about how hard those sore spots suck are quoting from the obvious. Trust me, I've noticed how sucky pain is. I trust whomever I am collaborating with to have noticed likewise. Who needs the reminder of the obvious?

For sure, the social distances between compassion, empathy and sympathy are fuzzy, at best. For my senses, empathy can only come from someone who has experienced similar pains of their own.
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