Imagine that your friend or good acquaintance is in trouble. Naturally, you try to somehow help him, talk, support, sympathize. But it's important to do it right. After all, situations are possible when excessive sympathy gets in the way.
First, you need to define what empathy is. This is an emotional state when you worry about another person, as if passing his problems through yourself. You try to fully understand the thoughts and emotions of the experiencer, getting used to his role.
Empathy and compassion for other people can help them a lot. First, a person experiencing certain difficulties will not feel lonely and abandoned. Knowing that someone is worried about you gives strength to deal with problems and adds confidence in success. After all, situations often occur when explicit help is not needed at all, and a simple heart-to-heart conversation can change a lot. And even the usual words “don’t worry,” “you need to pull yourself together,” etc. also have a healing effect. Another person takes on some part of his emotional experience, and it becomes much easier.
But the sympathizer also experiences some stress. After all, in addition to their own life problems, others are also added. In addition, energetically, negative emotions take away strength. Therefore, people who are too emotional, sympathizing, can suffer themselves, up to health problems.
Excessive empathy can also hurt the person to whom it is addressed. It so happens that a person seeking sympathy is actually looking for shoulders on which to shift the entire burden of their problems. A person who is regretted too often and too much can become weak and unable to cope with difficulties on their own. Or a person “unstuck” and completely immerses himself in himself and his suffering. Sometimes it takes some toughness to really help someone get out of depression.
Therefore, you should remember one simple rule: everything needs a golden mean. You shouldn't be either overly sympathetic and compassionate or completely heartless. Empathy alone is not a panacea for difficulties. It is necessary not only to compassion, but also to try to give the right impetus to the way out of a suppressed emotional state.
