The Dalai Lama once said, “Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.” Usually, when we think of compassionate people, peaceful and spiritual people come to mind, like Jesus, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Buddha, and the Dalai Lama. They were all known for their heart-of-gold, care for the suffering and selfless love.
The word ‘compassion’ derives from Latin, meaning “co-suffering.” This definition is interesting if you think about it, and it makes you wonder how a person can take care of a suffering person if they’re suffering with them. If two people are suffering, you’d think there would only be double suffering without relief, right?
To help us understand, Buddha defined compassion: “Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others. It crushes and destroys the pain of others; thus, it is called compassion. It is called compassion because it shelters and embraces the distressed.” Being compassionate towards another person involves more than just feeling their pain.
Feeling someone’s pain can cripple you and keep the power of your heart from reaching out and helping. The power of your heart is the channel for compassion. Overly empathic people usually have difficulty coping with the emotional burden of witnessing the suffering of others.
They experience the emotional layers of sorrow, turmoil, despair, and grief as if they’re experiencing these feelings. Empaths can even come down with the same physical symptoms when faced with a physically hurt person. They take on that person’s pain and feel it within their bodies. Through no actions of their own, their consciousness merges with others’ consciousness.
Empaths Are A Very Special Group Of People
More often than not, they can do nothing to stop this absorption of other people’s feelings and behaviors. These extremely empathic individuals have very little or sometimes no psychic boundaries. “They suffer from fuzzy boundaries,” says paranormal researcher Stanley Krippner. They endure physical and mental pain until they learn to take over the unconscious tendencies that cause them to absorb the feelings of others.
The good news is that empaths can learn to override these tendencies through spiritual practice. This practice helps them elevate their spiritual energy and protect themselves from the unconscious actions causing them pain. Psychic healing methods, like Reiki and Quantum Healing, are part of a spiritual practice. The more they build and strengthen their talents as healers, the greater their psychic boundaries become.
For this reason, it’s so important for empaths to learn how to expand their heart outwards through the spiritual practice of compassionate giving instead of retracting within and closing themselves off. Compassion is like a hug that comes from the heart. One person’s heart moves to touch the heart of another’s, and instead of dwelling on that person’s pain, it comforts them as much as possible.
A compassionate person might give a friend with an injured back a nice massage, offer to spend time with them to take their mind off the pain or take time out of their day to run errands while they rest up. Caregiving is the act of compassion in action. Compassion is a strength we should think highly of and welcome with open arms. Unfortunately, we only tend to do so when we’re receiving a compassionate act.
We Can All Use More Compassion In Our Lives
We must learn to be more appreciative of it and look for opportunities to practice it as much as possible. Think about the times you’ve seen someone sacrificing something (their time, money, etc.) for somebody else in need. How did it make you feel? Is this something you witness often? Do you sometimes do this for others? Would you like to do these things but don’t for whatever reason? Compassion almost always requires a certain level of sacrifice, and the amount we give is up to us.
There are times, however, when we may need to pull back and set some healthy boundaries. For example, if our compassionate actions feel more like an unappreciated strain hurting our well-being than help to others, we need to pull back. Compassionately giving doesn’t mean we have to lose or abandon ourselves; it just means extending ourselves with healthy boundaries. I received an email from one of my Psychic Review Online readers, who I’ll call Joan.
Joan experienced something troubling and asked me for a referral to a genuine psychic reader. She needed someone authentic and honest who could advise her during this highly emotional time. I pointed her in the right direction, and she found a great psychic who helped her work through her feelings and taught her a valuable lesson. Here’s her story, and I hope we can all learn from it.
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Joan’s Story:
Joan was out running errands one day and came across a disabled man who was hungry and needy. He asked her if she could lend him a couple of dollars until he received his social security check. She felt for him and gave him a twenty-dollar bill.
The man insisted he wasn’t a charity case and wanted her phone number to pay her back. She couldn’t convince him to take it as a gift, so she gave him her number. Joan moved across the country soon after and forgot about that interaction.
However, it all came back to her several months later when she received a phone call from a hospital in the city where she used to live. The administrator told her she was calling on behalf of a Mr. Smith. The hospital had admitted him based on his condition, and he had designated her as his responsible party.
Joan couldn’t believe this was happening and even admitted laughing about it. “This is what I get for trying to do something nice!” she thought. She explained the situation, and the employee thanked her for her time and told her not to worry about it.
Joan sat and thought about the situation afterward. She felt awful that he didn’t have anyone he could call on during his time of need except for her. Clearly, he didn’t have any friends or family he could depend on to take care of him when he needed them the most.
Joan remembers kneeling and extending her heart to his in prayer. She prayed for him to receive the care and love he needed during this difficult time. She felt that there was nothing more she could do except put it in the hands of a Higher Power and hoped he would be ok.
Joan Couldn’t Stop Worrying About Mr. Smith
Despite her best efforts, Joan couldn’t shake the feeling that she had failed Mr. Smith. She felt selfish for not doing more for him and imagined him alone in a hospital across the country. Joan would get depressed thinking of the situation and had difficulty eating and falling asleep most nights. She then consulted a psychic reader for spiritual guidance and contacted me for a referral.
She chose a psychic based on my reviews and had a great reading. The psychic made her realize that short of abandoning her family and responsibilities and moving back across the country to devote herself entirely to his care, it was beyond her control. The reader advised Joan that donating to the hospital on behalf of Mr. Smith might lighten her emotional load and give her some relief.
Joan organized a bake sale at her local college campus and donated her earnings to an organization that helps cover medical costs for those who can’t pay. The psychic reminded her that he’ll be taken care of thanks to compassionate individuals like her who donate to these organizations. Joan felt a weight lifting off her shoulders, and her sleep returned to normal, no longer feeling selfish.
She found that such a simple act of compassion had given her life a new meaning. She’s now very active in fundraising drives and spends her free time visiting a local nursing home, spending time with those who could use the company. She told me this had improved her life in ways she never knew were possible.
It’s Never OK To Give More Of Yourself Than You Have
It can be challenging to say “no” sometimes, but it’s ok to do so if something is beyond your abilities. It isn’t the end of the world if you withdraw and protect yourself from someone you feel compassion towards. After all, there are other kind souls like you, and sometimes it takes a village to help when things are hard. Just as there are compassionate beings, there are also those who seem to be “extreme do-gooders.”
These individuals are addicted to doing things for others and will literally give you the shirt off their backs without hesitation. While this may seem like a good thing, more often than not, these “extreme do-gooders” aren’t acting this way because they’re compassionate. They do it because their whole self-esteem comes from sacrificing themselves to others, with no regard for their feelings and little or no respect for themselves.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, our culture views compassionate giving as a waste of precious time and something to frown upon. For these reasons, it’s a highly-neglected act. So many people feel that compassionate giving is too much to deal with emotionally, and they recoil in defense when confronted with someone in need instead of reaching out to help.
Love And Compassion Are The Key To A Better World
A lot of people are more likely to offer judgment and harsh criticism instead of providing a helping hand. They feel that everyone should be able to care for their own life without needing others. Imagine what the world would look like if they knew how heartless they’ve become and how they are most in need of love and compassion!
If you’re ever doubting extending yourself compassionately to anyone who needs your help, give lovingly and joyfully in your heart. Imagine that every person in need you cross paths with was placed in your life by a Higher Power. These opportunities were extended to you to experience the joy of giving compassionately.
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use.” Flex that muscle and do your part for a better world, but know it’s okay to have boundaries. Don’t do anything that can hurt you or require more from you than you have. Find a way to help without losing yourself in the process. Remember that you must take care of yourself before caring for others.
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