How To Not Absorb Other People’s Emotions: 20 Strategies

Today you’re going to learn how to not absorb other people’s emotions.

Many people are very sensitive to the emotions of others. You may have a strong ability to empathize with others, which can be troublesome if you are a very sensitive person.

Having strong but compassionate boundaries can help you learn to prioritize your own feelings. Then you can create emotional, social, and physical zones for yourself where you can thrive without being hurt by the emotions of others.

How To Not Absorb Other People’s Emotions:

1. Consider whether you are a highly sensitive person.

A highly sensitive person (HSP) is quickly agitated and emotional. Some of the most important characteristics of an HSP person are listed below:

Sensory Detail: You appreciate the subtleties that your five senses pick up, such as soft fabrics, deep colors, and rich sounds.
Nuances of meaning: This person is aware of hidden meanings and does not make rash decisions.
Emotional Awareness: Because you are aware of your emotional health, you have the ability to take better care of yourself.
Creativity: You are most likely an extremely creative person who is also an introverted person.

You have a higher level of empathy for other people’s feelings.

2. Find out if you are an empath.

An empath is a person who is very sensitive to other people’s emotions, much more so than the average person. All HSPs are empaths, but not all empaths are HSPs. You may be an empath if you exhibit the following traits:

Other people’s fear, worry, and stress affect you. These feelings are drawn into your body, where they are revealed as pain and other symptoms of your body. They don’t have to be strangers or people you don’t like. Friends, family, co-workers—they all influence us.

In a crowd, you quickly become tired, exhausted, and uncomfortable.
Noise, smells, and numerous conversations can make you nervous and anxious.
To regain your energy, you need time alone.
Least susceptible to trying to rationalize your feelings. It is easy to damage your emotions.
You are naturally generous, spiritually oriented, and an excellent listener.
You usually make sure you have an escape plan so you can get out quickly, such as taking your own car to events.
Close relationships can make you feel suffocated or like you’ve lost your identity.

3. Recognize when you are most vulnerable to absorbing other people’s feelings.

Other people do not influence everyone in the same way or to the same degree. However, everyone experiences situations where other people influence their emotions. Try to figure out what scenario happens to you most often.

Make a note of how you feel when you are in the company of other people. Pay attention to the feelings that come up most often. Do emotions affect you when you try to impress someone? Are you affected by someone who intimidates you? Do you feel overwhelmed when you are in a crowd?

4. Recognize those who depress you.

Critics, victims, narcissists, and controllers are difficult for emotional empaths to deal with. “Emotional vampires” is the word used to describe such people.

Analyze the people in your immediate environment. Do you have many people who criticize you? Do they try to influence your opinion? Do they talk about themselves all the time? Do they never ask about your well-being?

You can defend yourself against such actions if you know how to recognize them. This means removing yourself from their presence and reminding yourself, “Even if I don’t agree with what they do, I appreciate who that person is on the inside.”

5. Identify your requirements and values.

Identify what you really need and what you will not compromise on. These are the things that are most important to you and are non-negotiable, such as health, children, etc. Once you have determined what you absolutely need for a happy life, you can start setting boundaries.

On the other hand, decide in what areas you are flexible in. What is it that you are willing to give up, minimize, or compromise on?

6. Tell your loved ones what you need.

Tell your loved ones when you need some time to yourself to process emotions and relax. Communicating your personal needs can help your partner understand why you are pulling away from him or her for a few moments. Your relationship can grow, and you will gain needed distance if this person understands your intentions.

7. Develop a plan for dealing with difficult situations.

When faced with difficult situations, it can happen that you let your guard down too much. You will be able to keep your guard up longer if you prepare your response in advance.

For example, how will you respond when a colleague needs someone to listen to work-related complaints? “I’m glad to hear about your work situation,” you might add, “but I only have 10 minutes today to talk about it.” Then stay with that topic for another ten minutes.

Imagine you have a colleague who notoriously leaves assignments to the last minute, and you, to alleviate his stress, take on his responsibilities. You can set a boundary by saying: “Right now I have my own task to do.” I’m sorry, but I’m not able to help you at this time. “

8. Set time limits.

In order to maintain your mental health, it’s important to know how much you can handle and stick to that limit. When dealing with people who make you feel overwhelmed, set gentle but meaningful limits.

For example, if you can only stand 30 minutes of listening to someone speak, don’t stand still for two hours. Justify yourself and go from there.

9. Develop the ability to rely on yourself.

Know your own emotions, feelings, desires, and demands. Mark your worth in your interactions with people to get what you need to be happy and satisfied. If you constantly rely on others to decide how you should feel and behave, you tend to take on the feelings and behaviors of others. Instead, learn to prioritize your needs and goals by acting independently.

Don’t wait for permission from others before taking action. You are free to make your own choices without seeking approval from others.

Start with small steps. Before you buy something, don’t ask someone if it looks good on you. If you like it, just buy it. Make major decisions gradually, without consulting others. This will boost your self-esteem and give you the opportunity to express your own thoughts and desires.

Make sure you don’t have to rely on others to help you out of a difficult situation. Take your own car with you or find a way to get home quickly if necessary. Make sure you have enough money to make other plans if you become overwhelmed.

10. Create your own private space at home.

So demand that people respect your free time so you can recharge. Create a safe haven for yourself to go to when you need to escape circumstances or when you feel particularly vulnerable, such as when you are tired. This is especially important to avoid taking on too much of your partner’s emotions. Find a place that evokes feelings of peace and serenity in you.

When you feel overwhelmed, have a photograph of a waterfall or green forest with you and stare at it.

11. When you are in public places, provide physical space.

For example, when you are in a crowd, physical space can help you find emotional space. Find places where you can take refuge, such as sitting or standing away from others when there are a lot of people around you.

If you are an HSP who is very sensitive to your surroundings, intentionally try to find places that will give you emotional space. For example, if you are in a restaurant, choose a table where you can sit with your back to the wall. Avoid sitting at a table in the middle of the room or near a restroom or trash can.

12. Obtain a sense of inner peace.

Focusing on your breath or imagining a pleasant place can help you find peace during stressful moments. This can also be a useful tool when you feel that you are preoccupied with other people’s emotions. For a few minutes, exhale negative emotions and inhale calm. This can allow you to focus and let go of fear or other negative feelings.

Imagine negativity leaving your body like a cloudy fog and optimism entering your body like a bright light. This can bring immediate results.

Try yoga and breathing exercises. These techniques are based on centering your emotions and providing a safe haven in the middle of a storm. Your breathing patterns have evolved according to your own rhythm of life.

These can sometimes prevent you from getting the right amount of oxygen to the right places at the right time. However, practicing yoga (1) or other breathing practices can change the way you breathe, giving you more control over unpleasant emotions when they arise.

13. Develop good feelings that will strengthen your inner strength.

If you are surrounded by peace and love, you will thrive just as much as you will wither if you are surrounded by bad feelings. According to research, feeling pleasant emotions leads to greater life satisfaction.

Think about someone you care about. Think about how you feel when you are around that person. Now imagine how you would feel if you were to apply the same feeling to someone you don’t know so well.

Find everything that makes you happy about that person. Then transfer those emotions to everyone around you. Learning to notice other people’s positive qualities can create happy feelings in you, allowing you to focus on the good parts of life and suppress negative emotions.

This creates more happy feelings. It is important to smile regularly. When you smile, chemicals are released in your brain that improve your mood.

Find time for activities that you enjoy. When you indulge in activities that you enjoy, you surround yourself with happy experiences.

14. Look for good people and circumstances.

Surround yourself with people who make you happy and who want to help you. Both positivity and negativity can affect your well-being. Since it is impossible to completely avoid being sensitive to other people’s emotions, it is best to surround yourself with good people rather than negative ones.

Call a buddy who can see the good in people. Spend time with a co-worker who always sees the positive side of things. Listen to those who are optimistic. Enjoy words, music, and art that are optimistic.

15. Take care of your emotional excess.

Empaths are inherently more sensitive to what’s going on around them than others, so they may feel overwhelmed in circumstances that most people wouldn’t even consider unpleasant. You don’t have to rely on your ability to absorb other people’s emotions, no matter how sensitive you are.

Recognize that certain circumstances may be too stressful for you. Take steps to get out of them. For example, avoid stores during the holiday season if you know you will absorb the tension of having other people do your holiday shopping.

16. Experiment with your creativity.

HSPs have higher levels of ingenuity (2) when it comes to aesthetic activities. Furthermore, some thinkers believe that the ability to be creative is essential to growth and change. Whether we have ever picked up a paintbrush or not, we are all capable of being creative.

Thus, art can occur whenever you are having a conversation with another person or even when you are preparing breakfast. Develop your ability to be more creative in your everyday life.

Experiment with your unique style and daily routine. This is a great way to make your unique sensitivity to environmental stimuli a gift, not a burden.

17. Use your empathy to make positive changes.

When you feel overwhelmed by other people’s emotions, redirect your energy to something useful. Choose a goal that is related to the feelings you are experiencing.

For example, a highly sensitive person may experience anguish whenever he passes by homeless people on the street. To avoid suffering, he may avoid visiting cities or specific areas. Invest your emotional energy in a positive way. You can donate your time to a homeless shelter or offer to buy a meal for a homeless person. Listen to what the person has to say.

18. Have empathy for yourself.

By practicing compassion, you can learn to protect yourself from overpowering emotions. While compassion helps you empathize with others, it also requires compassion for yourself. This means that you don’t have to feel bad about taking a break when you feel overwhelmed.

Be aware of your shared humanity. Your feelings are not unique. You will feel less alone when you realize that your feelings are part of a shared human experience. For example, if you feel overwhelmed, remind yourself that “everyone is overwhelmed sometimes.”

19. Be content with who you are.

When everyone around you seems animated or sociable, being hypersensitive to your surroundings can make you feel out of sync with others. This is because HSPs and empaths are generally introverted. In fact, over 70% of HSPs are introverts.

However, because your level of sensitivity is unique to your body, it is important to accept these emotions as part of who you are.

20. Experiment with different scenarios.

Empathy is a natural reaction that can evoke many different feelings depending on the scenario. It will be difficult to know what emotions different people evoke if you are around the same people every day. If you put yourself in a situation that you usually avoid, you may find that you react differently.

Try a new pastime or attend an event with people you don’t know. Being in a new environment may give you the opportunity to react in a different way.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about how to not absorb other people’s emotions. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.