I am an empath. What that means is that I am really sensitive to the world. Even the slightest idea that someone person or animal is hurting I feel it. It can be overwhelming. It may be much ado about nothing. Actually, it probably is. But I am bothered by any noise that has even the slightest hint of pain be it mental, emotional or physical.
Let me start with people. I really don’t like listening to kids scream. I know they are normally having fun, but it still irritates. On the other side of things, I can’t listen to a baby or child cry. It could be that they are crying because they are sad or hungry or just want attention. Whatever the reason, it hurts me. I don’t know what is wrong. So, the empath I am wants the crying to end. I guess I figure if the crying has stopped, then the issue has been resolved.
I want to make a side note on crying. I cry easily. I am sure I will talk about that later. But from my life coach training, I will tell you that crying fills the basic need for love and connection. There are four basic needs. Crying is a way to fill that need by giving love and connection to the self.
Let me move on to animals. This could be animals in the wild say in the woods somewhere. But I am talking about domesticated animals. There are a lot of cats around here. Most have someone to feed them. But when I hear a cat or kitten cry my heart aches. I hope they are just being impatient with the food being handed out.
Then there are dogs. It breaks my heart to hear a dog bark or cry. Are they hurt? Are they scared? Are they alone? Whatever the case may be, I feel for them. I want to help them. At my last home, the man was not exactly abusive to his dogs, but he was not kind either. At times he would lock them in a crate for 10-12 hours a day. These were outdoor dogs, and this, to me was cruel. They would often have a blanket over their crate. It’s cruel. They could not eat or drink, or go to the bathroom. It was sometimes hot. I tried to help but the animal welfare people from the local shelter did nothing. It bothers me. It may be nothing, but to hear a dog cry breaks my heart.
Now, lets expand this just a bit. I’ve told you that neighbor noise bothers me. I worry about kids and pets. So when I hear a parent say anything to a child I think is mean, I freak out a little. The other day a young father told his child to put on a shirt and shoes, and it bothered me. I don’t know why. It did. He did not yell. It bothered me. It is hard to be me. And when I hear someone say that is a bad dog, it takes all the energy I have to not scream. They are not yelling or hitting or anything. I know my neighbors like their pets, but it bothers me to have them say bad dog. It was in a calm tone. No one hurt the dog. I guess in my mind there is the possibility someone will hurt the child or the dog, and I think that is what gets to me. It is the possibility that it may happen.
Okay, there you have my sensitivity to children and animals crying. Fun times.