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Apr 7th, 2009 08:28 PM #1
Empathy turned upside down
Hey,
I am five minutes removed from speaking to someone who's had a somewhat rough go at life in the past year or two which has led to a mild sadness/depression for me.
My problem is that when I hear of a person going through a tougher life than I have had to deal with, I tend to feel empathy to a very high degree. For example the person I just spoke told me about the accident he had in his construction job, being out of a job for over a year, not being able to deal with the pain and make a living, and his company subsequently refusing to recognize that he is severely injured even with ample proof. Even listening to his story I felt extremely uneasy and I could feel myself getting depressed over it.
When I was younger I actually used to have nightmares and bouts of depression from other people's suffering. For example, whenever those third world children's commercials would come on, I would have to basically jump over tables to change the channel so it wouldn't affect me. As I have gotten older I have forced myself to be selfish and blinding myself to the suffering going on in the world so it wouldn't affect me, but sometimes like today, I just can't avoid it.
For those of you who feel too much empathy, how do you cope so other people's problems don't make you depressed and bring forth a guilty feeling in yourself for having a relatively easy life?
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Apr 7th, 2009 08:41 PM #2Deal Fanatic
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"When the common good of a society is regarded as something apart from and superior to the individual good of its members, it means that the good of some men takes precedence over the good of others, with those others consigned to the status of sacrificial animals." -- Ayn Rand
Every facet, every deposit of your mind is to be programmed by you; and unless you assume your rightful responsibility and begin to program your own mind, the world will program it for you.
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Apr 7th, 2009 08:43 PM #3
Something to cheer you up:
Last edited by enforcerviper; Apr 7th, 2009 at 09:50 PM.
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Apr 7th, 2009 08:48 PM #4
Thats Just cruel. This guy obviously is going thru a rough time and just needs some help not that.
If i were you i would speak to my doctor what your going thru he/she will prob have the right answers for you and how to deal with it.
Originally Posted by sxz
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Apr 7th, 2009 08:50 PM #5Deal Fanatic
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What are you on about...that picture happened to cheer me right the heck up. It is always helpful to know just how good one really has it in life.
Originally Posted by towhytea
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"When the common good of a society is regarded as something apart from and superior to the individual good of its members, it means that the good of some men takes precedence over the good of others, with those others consigned to the status of sacrificial animals." -- Ayn Rand
Every facet, every deposit of your mind is to be programmed by you; and unless you assume your rightful responsibility and begin to program your own mind, the world will program it for you.
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Apr 7th, 2009 08:56 PM #6Well don't do as the photographer did. He committed suicide about a year after he took that Pullitzer prize winning photo. Originally Posted by sxz
Something to cheer you up:
[/img]Last edited by enforcerviper; Apr 7th, 2009 at 09:51 PM.
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:11 PM #7 Beer.
Thats why we have beer.
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:14 PM #8
1 day something bad will happen to you, then you will see how good you really had it and wonder if your life will ever be like that again!
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:29 PM #9Deal Addict
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He'd probably be rolling in his graves if he saw the caption some people came up with... Originally Posted by Madchester
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:36 PM #10
Talk with a doc. I can't think of any good books off the top of my head. It's good to be sensitive to others, but, obviously, you don't want to be so sensitive that you become upset. Try to find some things that cheer you up or calm you down. Maybe a game, a TV show (have any Simpsons DVDs?), or a book that will help you relax a little.
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:37 PM #11
The depths and heights of humanity, captured on film.
http://www.photosthatchangedtheworld.com/
Seriously though, after viewing these photos you realize how far we've come and how far we still have to go.Last edited by sxz; Apr 7th, 2009 at 09:39 PM.
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:38 PM #12
Sounds like you need a shrink... not RFD.
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:40 PM #13Holy ****... I just saw that and laughed before I consciously realised what it was. Originally Posted by sxz
I'm definitely going to hell._______________
it took me 45 minutes to make this signature
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:40 PM #14So you get amusement from children dying of hunger...you my friend are the biggest loser on earth. Originally Posted by sxz
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Apr 7th, 2009 09:43 PM #15I would consider it, but I love life and my life is going very well. It is only when I am faced with other people's problems that I get a little overwhelmed. Originally Posted by Magoo
Some psychologist did research on how some lottery winners have this "guilt" of suddenly becoming wealthy while most of their friends and family are not doing so well. Just an unhealthy ability to feel empathy I guess, definitely not going to pay someone $100 an hour to talk about that. Well maybe if someone was to post a deal on the deals section.....maybe 50% off the first 10 hours
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