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...
Today I learned that the professor of a class I sat in on passed away. She was an incredible woman. She always put the students first and would help anyone out even if she didn't know you. Although I did not know her that well I am still upset that she has passed. I have noticed that I get really really upset when I learn of someone passing away or if I know someone is suffering. I heart so bad for others that I take on the pain that they feel. My professor had a son and I keep thinking about the pain he must feel. I feel the pain in my own chest as if I had lost someone that was close to me because of the thoughts that I have. Does anyone else have a hard time taking on everyone's pain and hurt? How do I stop feeling so much?
I am a lot like you. I'm a sponge when it comes to other people's emotions and problems. Often, I need to remind myself that, while it is a good thing to feel for others, it's not a healthy thing for me to absorb it and carry it around. In the end, it is not my cross to bear.
Perhaps take a little time to care for yourself right now and have compassion for your own life and body. Honor those who have passed on by appreciating, enjoying, and loving your own life.
We also live in a culture that tells us it's not okay to have feelings. When a father dies, we tell his young son that he's now "the man of the family" and needs to buck up. We tell kids not to cry. And when someone grieves for more than 5 minutes we label them as depressed.
This is a time to trust your instincts and listen to your inner wisdom. Do you need time to cry, to be creative, to sleep? It's okay to allow yourself to go through the feelings to get to the other side. I think when we shut ourselves down, it just accumulates in our body and makes us sick.