Empathy is a crucial life skill that can help us navigate appropriately in a situation. According to the American Psychological Association, empathy refers to understanding a person from his or her frame of reference rather than one’s own, or vicariously experiencing that person’s feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. While people are often in-tune with their feelings and thoughts, being in tune with others is harder. And for some, it is even harder still. Conditions like antisocial personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder may play a role in a lack of empathy. While others can fall on the other end of the continuum, i.e. be too empathetic or what is commonly called hyper-empathetic. Read on to find out if you have higher-than-average levels of empathy:
Physical Manifestation Towards Others Negative Experiences
Oftentimes, it is common to have physical reactions towards other people’s negative experiences. This includes crying when you see someone is having a hard time. But you ought to be careful if you have strong emotional reactions especially if they manifest physically. These physical manifestations can be so intense that they can cause stomach aches or nausea. Even if you’re only looking at a photo or a movie.
Cannot Set Boundaries
Have you ever found yourself unable to refuse a request because it might hurt others? You might be hyper-empathetic. This also includes putting your needs last and allowing others to be unkind to you. Setting boundaries is crucial to building a healthy relationship. If your boundaries are a source of problems for others, it is time to rethink your relationship, not your boundaries.
Not Dropping Emotional Response
Feeling upset over a hurtful situation for others is a natural emotional response. This can last anywhere from a few minutes to days, depending on the intensity of the situation. However, if you are unable to drop an emotional response long after the event has passed, it is worrisome.
A Toll On Regular Life
Feeling empathetic towards someone should not affect your everyday life. Being so overwhelmed that it takes a toll on your regular life indicates that you might be hyper-empathetic. This can look like being unable to perform well at school or work, skipping meals, or even just lying in bed all day contemplating their situation.
As If It Happened To You
After you have talked to someone about their issues, any empathetic person would be able to place themselves in the other person’s shoes. However, this does not mean they should be as affected by it. Other times, you might feel overwhelmed talking to someone about their problems because it might feel like it is happening to you.
Do you relate to any of these signs of hyper-empathy?
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