I would consider myself a altruistic person, but having entirely too much empathy for people makes me run into certain issues, especially in social situations. People can manipulate their way into your life and hurt you. There are certain things I've discovered from being a primarily empathetic person through seeing others' interactions and noticing things about myself. However, I'm glad I'm an empathetic person because it has helped me understand what I desire in a career position.
1. Toxic People
It's easy for toxic people to trick you into caring about them. It's difficult for you to remove yourself from caring about people, especially toxic people, because you care about everyone. Sometimes, people love to use you for their own selfish needs as well. You check up on people, even people who have treated you horribly who will never check up on you. You're expected to forgive these toxic people too, even though they put you down multiple times and make you feel inferior. You feel naive, even gullible sometimes, to the needs of others.
2. Personal Health
You forget to take care of yourself. You'd rather be helping others than helping yourself. If someone needs help, you're on your way in light speed, forgetting to consider your own mental health. You're willing to stay up with a friend in their time of need and completely disregard the fact that you feel like you're going to have an anxiety attack soon. You let yourself be pulled in ten directions, but fail to consider your own mental and physical well-being.
3. Equal Care
You wonder if someone will ever treat you the way you treat others. You feel like you can never expect someone to care as much as you do. When other people help you, you feel like you're a burden. Why aren't you able to help someone instead of feeling so pathetic? You're weak at that moment, and you feel like you're expected to be strong emotionally all the time.
4. "Oversensitiveness"
You're considered 'oversensitive.' You easily feel for someone if they are in pain, whether it be emotional or physical. You cry easily when you worry about others. You're considered 'weak' when you cry when honestly, you're just letting out the overwhelming amount of emotions you're dealing with at the moment. Additionally, if you're a girl, people sometimes tend to associate your femininity with being over emotional when people in general can be considered over emotional, regardless of their gender.
5. You're used to having low expectations.
You've stopped expecting the same treatment from others. If you don't have the same expectations as others, they won't be able to hurt you, right? This can be a bad or good thing at times, especially when people want you to open up, and you struggle with the concept because you're not sure you can trust them just yet. Thanks anxiety! You try to trust them in small increments. It feels similar to a trust fall.
6. Those people who do care matter so much to you.
Those people who check up on you and make sure you're okay mean the world to you. You check up on them and they check up on you. It's a mutual relationship. You can trust them with your true personality.
