Have you ever felt this way? I know I have.
Last Monday I woke up just wanting to stay in bed curled up in a ball and sleep the day away. I didn't as there were things I needed to do and I knew isolating myself would compound how I felt. I felt sad and incredibly lonely, a loneliness I don't remember ever experiencing. Not only was it an emotion but a feeling deep within my body that hurt.
I didn't feel like me.
As the fortunes would have it I already had down on my calendar a meeting with a circle of wonderful women and then one-on-one time with a friend. By the way I don't believe in coincidences. A conversation in the group centered on how we can take on the energy/feelings of people around us and how it can sometimes be challenging to know when it's not ours. One of the women in the circle even asked if someone in the group was sad. I raised my hand.
It wasn't till later on when I spoke with my friend that I realized I hadn't put together that the loneliness I felt, the depth with which I felt it, wasn't mine. I had picked up on the loneliness of another person. Once I asked myself if this was about me or not the depth of that loneliness lifted. Making that distinction shifted my mood and that physical hurt feeling faded. I still felt sad which made perfect sense given loses and changes going on in my life right now.
People who are highly sensitive, what others would call empathic, can experience taking on the energies and/or feelings of others. Knowing this is helpful in clearing what's yours and what's not. If you're interested in learning more here is an article to help you know if you or someone you know is such a person.
Beth