Strong feelings towards friends

[ExplosiveTMT]

Whenever a friend of mine gets really upset, I tend to get really, really worried for them. :/

In the past, I got upset myself over what happened to make my friend upset.
So I wound up turning a friend's problem into my own, if you know what I mean.

I've learned what to say to an upset friend, what to do, and what not to do in these sorts of situations.
But, despite having learnt all these good ways to cope and help out as best as I can, I still tend to get a very horrible feeling in my chest when I see something bad or hear of something bad that happened to a friend.


I know that many people feel sad when something bad happens to their friends, but with me, my emotions tend to totally overwhelm me. In many cases, I've probably felt more worried than I should've been about my friend.


Does anyone else relate to this?

 

[gonz]

I think maybe I know what you mean. When I can tell that someone close to me is upset, I get extremely anxious. I feel like it's my job to make them feel better, only I have no idea how to do so, and their continued unhappiness signifies my failure as a friend. Which, given the fact that it almost never has anything to do with me, is completely unreasonable.

And I'll obsess over it, going through the situation over and over again, looking for ways to make them feel better. Often long past the point where they themselves have stopped caring about whatever it was.

 

[Peace]

Although my life is void of any real friends, I do this with people in general. I have a keen sense for people who are upset or in pain. I see a person at the store and immediately know they are hurting. I take this on as my own and struggle with the pain. I used to say something but it just freaked people out so I usually just keep to myself.

 

[Charlotte Antell-Collins]

Exactly', I thought I was the only one