Empathy

[mariamma]

Originally Posted by Runner

Some people are talkers, they discuss issues they have on a regular basis and don't pretend everything is ok when it's not - when they have something on their mind they need to discuss it with people they trust, that's probably healthy right?

I'm sorry it took this long to get to the crux of the thread but I suppose my question is - empathy is a great thing but can you have too much? People genuinely sometimes cannot read someone but even as a child I've always been very aware of how anyone close to me is feeling.

At this point I feel that my own life nearly becomes obsolete.

Am I selfish to say that I I feel overwhelmed sometimes?

I'm a talker and a listener. I do a lot of healing work with spirits and it tends to be about listening with body and soul and releasing them back into The Source or into EarthMother.
Discussing is always better. Do it while alive and you won't need help passing over.
Empathy is generated via the action of oxytocin. It plays out in many ways. Elephants, horses, dogs, bears, etc. use oxytocin in the same way as humans. Remember the Elephant Whisperer who died recently in London and the herd of elephants that he worked with in Africa preformed the death ritual that elephants do within an hour of his death? Oxytocin.
Oxytocin also works in the brain as "mirror neurons" meaning that those who are empathic will mirror the behaviors of those they bond with energetically and simulate the same sensations in the empath's own body.
Giving yourself space is vitally important to your homeostasis. Because you feel what others feel, many will like to dump with you. They feel heard (which is what we all want, to be understood). Love and respect yourself by holding space for you, setting limits when you need to. You can also learn grounding and shielding techniques if you are actively spiritual like that.
Be well