#108: I Feel Your Feelings, Everyday, Always (And I'm Exhausted)

FROM THIS SHOW…

If we were to examine your emotional life, would you score high on the ability to feel other people’s emotional states? When you have a bipolar disorder, you’re over-exposed to the realities of internal suffering, which can often lead to immense empathy for the struggles of others. This is a beautiful attribute, but it can quickly turn problematic if you constantly prioritize other people’s thoughts and emotions over your own.

On today’s episode of The Bipolar Now Podcast, Mike shares how difficult it can be to manage your empathy. Your capacity for feeling the pain and turmoil of others doesn’t have to dominate your own needs for emotional stability. Learn how to get better at being supportive and present for others, while not getting drained by the constant mental gymnastics of being an empathetic human being.

You don't want to miss it!

Listen to the podcast:

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TAKEAWAYS

• Logic and rationality get easily displaced by emotions when you’re an empathetic soul. This can lead to a host of problems, the foremost of which is usually a loss of energy.

• The ability to process emotions comes from our “limbic brain”—an area that develops early in our lives and can become dominant in people with bipolar disorder.

• If you find yourself being drained out by the emotions of those you live with or help, you can slowly begin to change the way you listen and process those emotions.

Lifer Discussion Guide

There is no Lifer guide for this episode, but you can use the techniques and workarounds in this episode to open up a conversation this week about being overrun by the thoughts and emotions of others. “Lifers” are special people who have the kind of faithfulness to you that assures you they’ll be there when called upon. If you haven’t nominated a Lifer as part of your non-medical support team, what are you waiting for? :-)

Join the Tribe!

Once you’ve had a chance to talk or journal about these things you might have a question from this episode. If so, make sure you head on over to The Bipolar Now Podcast Network on Facebook! There’s quite a few people over there who are also taking a new step in their mental health. And we’d love for you to share your story with us when you’re ready. So don’t miss out!