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I am an extreme empath and I don’t necessarily say it to brag. I think there is such thing as a healthy level of empathy, and a destructive level of empathy. I’ve been told that I err on the latter side. I can let small events that didn’t even happen to me but that I simply hear of ruin my day—or week. If a good friend’s pet passes away I can become so frozen with grief that I can barely get anything done for days. That’s not even my pet. My friend herself would probably tell me I was overreacting. But, I can’t help it. I’ve always been sensitive like that. I guess I just lack some of the protective emotional skin others have and am deeply affected by any sort of sadness or discontent around me. I wouldn’t necessarily change if I could because I know that my intense empathy is also what has allowed some of the very deep and loving relationships I have in my life. But, if you are an extreme empath, then you’re probably familiar with these struggles.
You can’t be happy if your partner is unhappy
If my partner is having a difficult day, I can’t really be happy. Even if I have had a really great thing happen that I would normally celebrate. Having a good day on your partner’s bad day is always tough, but it’s especially hard for severe empaths. We take on our partner’s emotions as if they are our own.
