We’ve noticed in our own lives that too much #sympathy isn’t helpful. It’s #draining—and to no useful end. Sympathy kicks in when our heads #overidentify with someone in need and we start #projecting our own concerns. Our heads persuade us that in order to be a #goodfriend, we have to “get into” that person’s pain, identify with it and make it our own. But that means engulfing ourselves in the same draining #emotions our friend is suffering from. By the time we project our own #concerns about the problem on top of our friend’s concerns, we’re sinking into an emotional bog that’s not helpful to anyone. That’s why an offer of sympathy so often leads to two people crying in their beers instead of one—with no #solution in sight. #Compassion, on the other hand, is #regenerative, and it offers #intuitive understanding and potential solutions. It lets us feel what another is feeling while holding on to our own #authenticity. We can embrace our suffering friend without falling into #overresponsibility and #despair. Caring about the problems and #concerns of those we love is a natural part of #friendship. We just need to make sure that our feelings of care lead to #higherheart #compassion rather than lower-heart sympathy. Doc Childre, The HeartMath Solution: The Institute of HeartMath's Revolutionary Program for Engaging the Power of the Heart's Intelligence #heartsintelligence #heartconnection https://www.instagram.com/p/BrXOLAKDiRP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16fmqf2c8o1y7
