Sometimes you can literally feel like you’re running on empty. You may feel bogged down by the feelings of those around you. Do you feel drained or possibly even numb at times? We can all get emotionally exhausted, sweet friends.

If you care deeply about your family and friends, you may be absorbing all of their stress and strain. Have you ever heard the expression “compassion fatigue”? If you are constantly engulfed by others’ emotions, you may not be able to deal with your own anymore.

It’s just like overworking your workout. Ever go to the gym and overwork your muscles? Lift one too many weights? Well, you know what they say: If you still look cute after working out, you didn’t go hard enough. It’s also been said: Running shoes have magic in them—the power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; and chocolate cake into muscle.

But honestly, you may simply be burned out. You know you’re really stressed when you start getting on your own nerves. Truly, you may be the kind of person who feels a deeply strong sense of responsibility for others’ emotions or pain. You’re not the one going through the disappointment, but when your daughter is, you too feel powerless or weakened.

You can feel as though you are literally drowning in his emotions when he constantly shares his financial concerns. You know, it was once asked: Ever notice how cash flow never seems to flow toward you? But of course, you cannot fix it, so you end up feeling helpless. Remind yourself that none of us has all the answers in this life.

You cannot fix your loved ones, but you surely can support them in their journey. You might be too exhausted to offer her a shoulder to cry on right now. You may simply have to take care of yourself for a bit and recharge.

To protect yourself from becoming flooded, you may isolate for a time. You end up feeling more like an observer rather than an active participant in your own life. Or you absorb his anger or pain and end up becoming annoyed and angered yourself. By the way, it’s okay to unfollow people in real life.

Believe it or not, your brain can experience the pain of those around you even if you are not the one going through it firsthand. Do global concerns trouble you endlessly? It’s been said: Ninety percent of politicians give the other ten percent a bad name. Another saying goes: The mistake a lot of politicians make is forgetting they’ve been appointed and thinking they’ve been anointed.

Limit your exposure to politics. It might be hard to focus on your work or daily chores, but please do cultivate self-compassion. You cannot control world events, sweet friends.

However, you can work on revitalizing your well-being. While compassion for others is invaluable, too much of it can debilitate you. It may feel as though you make much more effort in your relationships or friendships. You may simply have a higher level of empathy and awareness of others’ feelings than those around you.

Not everyone is emotionally available, sweet friends. You may get taken advantage of if others perceive you as too agreeable at times. Some might bank on you always being the forgiving one. Some empathetic people who have been abused even feel sorry for their abuser.

Do not allow yourself to ruminate on negative feelings. You need not feel excessively responsible for her feelings at all times. Monitor your own emotions to ensure that your compassion for him is not making things worse for yourself.

Don’t always agree to do that favor. Learn to manage your feelings in any situation and how to de-escalate conflict. Teach your loved ones how to identify what they are feeling in order to gain a better grasp on it.

Ask yourself why you feel angry or sad at times. Acknowledge your emotions, but know that you do not have to act on them. Please take responsibility for your actions, and in tough situations, ask yourself what your role model would do.

Nothing is as contagious as a good example. After all, it’s been observed: Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

 Caroline is a licensed psychotherapist, crisis counselor, and writer with an office in Queens.  She works with individuals, couples, and families.  Appointments are available throughout the week and weekends.  She can be reached at 917-717-1775 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at facebook.com/pages/Safe-Haven-Healing.