My mother died and since then I've found myself hugely sensitised to others even those I don't really know.
Writing a letter of condolence to anyone, even for an acquaintance, can reduce me to tears.
I've been very upset about the news about Kate Middleton's cancer, not because I'm a royalist or even a fan on an objective level she's nothing to me, but thinking of her children and what is to come for her and her family (what she has described sounds very similar to my own mother's experience who died within a year despite an initial positive prognosis)
This sort of thing is what I mean - it's like I'm hypersensitive to bereavement and grief of others, even potential grief, particularly around parent/child death but not exclusively - I get very emotionally moved in a way I never did before.
Is this just a normal feature of empathy - once you've experienced it yourself, it is easier and more accessible to empathise with others - or is it part of the grief reaction that will wear off over time?
Anyone had anything similar?
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Bereavement
If you have lost someone, are you more sensitive to others grief and health?
BereaverBeaver · 23/03/2024 14:32
MolkosTeenageAngst · 23/03/2024 14:38
How long ago did you lose your mother? It sounds like other people’s grief is triggering your own, I don’t think it’s necessarilly you’re more empathetic to it, more that hearing about other people triggers the emotions related to your own loss and that a lot of the sadness you are feeling in response to other peoples news is actually sadness for yourself, not for them. As you process your own grief I’d have thought those feelings will become less extreme.
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