How To Stop Absorbing Other People’s Emotions, In 5 Steps
Every time we experience an emotion, we are doing so influenced by the society around us. It is something that is beyond our control and, in itself, there is nothing wrong with it. It is simply impossible to live life apart from the ideas of the culture in which we live and the relationships we maintain, and these two elements affect our way of thinking and feeling.
However, it is one thing to experience our emotional side through sociocultural influences, and another to get used to the fact that how we feel depends on how others feel. This It is something that occurs from the mental processes of empathy but that can give way to a kind of “emotional contagion” that can harm us when it leads us to fall into negative emotions constantly and unjustifiably.
In this article we will see some Tips on How to Stop Absorbing Others’ Emotions and how we can modify the way we react to other people’s feelings so that they do not override our own judgment and personality.
To stop suffering from this constant emotional contagion, follow the guidelines below. Keep in mind, however, that each case is unique, and you must find a way to adapt these tips to your specific case and your way of life.
This is a basic condition to not be constantly infected by the emotions of others, but the importance of this advice goes much further. When we get involved in relationships of dependency, both our actions and our feelings orbit around another who consciously or unconsciously learns to control us by taking us towards the mental state that interests him most.
So that, whether in the field of friendship or in relationships it is important to control that all these emotional ties are symmetrical and fair, without one part dominating the other, since if we fall into dependency, we practically become an extension of the other’s body.
2. Expose yourself to third opinions
In order not to absorb another person’s emotions all the time, we must maintain our own criteria about what is happening around us. Therefore, even if our relationship with another person is healthy, it is necessary to have frequent contact with more people. Each individual is a point of view and the simple fact of exposing ourselves to explanations about reality that to some extent contradict each other, bring us closer to a unique way of seeing life.
3. Analyze what type of emotions you absorb the most
Probably, those who have a propensity to absorb emotions have it with certain ways of feeling, not with all. For example, In many cases, sadness will be the emotion that affects us the most but in other cases this may be anger combined with the desire for revenge.
Stopping to think about this will help us when determining in which contexts and situations we are most vulnerable.
4. Learn to adopt a distanced perspective
This is another tip that can be used for many other things, and usually provides advantages when someone intends to adopt a more neutral point of view. It requires some effort and practice, but over time, you gain the ability to analyze what happens more coldly.
For it, It is good to imagine literally seeing an event from a distance, as if it were part of a simulation or a story that does not take place in our plane of reality. In this way, the illusion that everything that happens in the world or near us is of capital importance and is the center of the universe is broken.
5. Help the other person
There are those who may think that the best way to avoid being infected with the negative emotions and discomfort of others is to simply cut off contact with the person who transmits them to us. Although it can be useful advice in very extreme cases, in most cases it is not a good idea, assuming that it is a healthy relationship in the rest of the aspects
Why is it not recommended? Because from this point of view it is assumed that the problem is isolated to two people: one who emits and another who receives without filters. But what is happening is precisely the opposite: there is a bond, a relationship, that goes beyond individuality. Therefore, it is much more advisable to try to help others than to run away from them.
This is an option that many people overlook. If we absorb the negative emotions of another, we also we can go to the root of the problem by helping that person Not everything has to do only with how we feel; Sometimes a little help can make a big difference, benefiting not one but two people.
