Do You Ever Feel like an Open Wound?

Yeah, I think the official dx is something like OEMD-NOS, or Over Empathetic Mom Disorder. lol

Prognosis is good, however. Since those of us suffering from OEMD, also suffer from ASHGB Disorder as well, or Ability to See Humor and Grace and Beauty all around us that others miss.

Just you wait, tomorrow you'll experience something that will completely restore your faith in the human race. Well, maybe the day after, but you know what I mean.

I have a close relationship with God, which helps me, at the risk of sounding preachy.

We'll get through it all together, right?

Meanwhile, we can continue to DO good for others best we can.

:)

Are we related?

I'm like that! My emotions are sensitive. They always have been, as far back as I can remember. What most people hear about, feel bad about, and then turn away from to go back to their own lives, makes me distressed for days or sometimes longer. Cruelty and suffering can immobilize me at times.

I have to be very careful what I read and what I choose to listen to. Not that I stick my head in a hole and try NOT know what is happening in the world, but I can't permit myself to get overwhelmed. For that reason I do not check the news briefs every hour. There are books and blogs I don't read, and movies I don't watch. I usually know what I can handle and what I can't. And I know where the "off" button is on the TV.

I don't know what your religious faith is, if any, but I always have to turn to the One who knows more than any human being how much awfulness there is in the world and why it's there. And sometimes I have an opportunity to help with the problem that's pressing on my heart - supplies for tornado victims, for instance, or financial help for the little children whose parents have been murdered. Sometimes I handle it just by doing *something* positive, whether it relates to the problem or not; the friendly "Good morning" to my neighbor, or my listening to her, which seems inconsequential, may work in my neighbor's life to offset some burden a bit.

What I can do is only a drop in the bucket, admittedly, but the bucket would be less full without my drop.

Hope this helps a bit.

I feel this way sometimes, too.

Some things, I pray for, "Dear Lord, please help these people to know that someone, somewhere, cares about them." Some things, I find I really need to stop everything and hug my kids.

And sometimes, I search until I find good news. It seems like too often, we get the bad stuff. Here's a couple I found, that made me feel a little better about the world: India just became polio-free. It used to be considered endemic in India, but they haven't had a single case for over a year now. That's news worth cheering about. There is a new drug about to be approved by the FDA that can treat certain types of cystic fibrosis. The Paiter Suiti tribe in Brazil has managed to stop illegal logging in their territory, and is making arrangements to restore the parts of the rainforest that have been deforested, and in the process, has brought electricity and a modern education to the tribal members. True, there are still terrible things. But there is some good, too.

Keep praying, and keep being a strong, positive person in the world. We need you!

Yes! I do therapy and have had some trauma. Of course I've had to learn how to manage vicarious trauma, but there are some days, some people, some stories... but then there are the times I'm not taking as good care of myself as I should. I really hope you can increase your self care and treat yourself as if you were a child hearing or experiencing something disturbing. Be very kind to yourself.

I pull back from reading the news. I don't own a TV for just this reason - way too much stimulation and usually negative. Go for a walk, identify what your thankful for, or, maybe a good cry is just the ticket.

Absolutely nothing wrong with you! If you are feeling it, your alive, functioning well, and still available to empathize. When you stop feeling, you're in trouble: )

Yes, absolutely. The story about that pastor....I am praying hard for him. I cannot bear to listen to the story. It never ceases to amaze me at the stuff that goes on in the world. Sometimes, one just has to not tune in to the very bad stuff in order to save one's sanity:(

You're feeling like you're an open wound because the trigger has opened up an old wound that hasn't fully healed.

Yes, I've felt that way and always go back to counseling to find and focus on the old wound so that it will heal. After many years and times of counseling I have learned some skills to heal myself. I've read a lot of self-help books. Try googling "healing emotional pain" and that sort of topic and see what you can find. here is the first one I found
http://www.wellbeingalignment.com/emotional-pain.html I'm not familiar with this author but I skimmed the article and it's along the same lines of other that I've read.

I just can't remember any of the books I've used. Sorry! The ones that benefited me may not be helpful to you anyway because our emotional injuries are probably different. The way to find a book is to see if there is a theme to what causes the current pain and then focus on that.

My first counselor helped me find the right book by showing me that I had trust issues. I was having difficulty with my boss at work.

I think the next set of books I read had to do with co-dependency.

Hopefully this will give you an idea.

I think if we're human and have a heart, you feel like this.
I think some people are more sensitive to stories of horror than others.
THREE time I tried to watch the Paradise Lost 3 Purgatory documentary about those three teens that were accused of killing that little boy...and I could not bear to get past the opening credits and scenes....maybe because my son is close in age to the victims, maybe because as a mother, a tragedy like that is unimaginable....I don't know.
You sound like a person of faith....praying helps.
Have you read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom?
What an amazing book--I read it Saturday. Talk about abundant faith & trust when the world around you is crumbling! I found it very uplifting--in spite of the material....