art source: New York Times

“A lot of empaths became the good one, the easy one, the one that doesn’t cause trouble, the one who understands, and this is subtle, but it shapes your entire social life, because if your were rewarded for being low need you can grow into an adult who feels ashamed of having needs at all, so you become incredible at giving, you listen you support, you respond fast, you remember details, you make people feel seen and you might even feel proud of this because it’s a beautiful quality, but here’s the question that changes everything-

Can you receive? Can you let someone be there for you without feeling guilty? Can you say I’m not okay without adding immediately, But it’s fine don’t worry? Because if receiving feels unsafe friendship becomes one-sided. You become the emotional home for others while your own inner world stays locked. And then you get tired, not because you don’t love people, but because you keep abandoning yourself.”

Source: The Wound Beneath, YouTube