Navigating tricky times as an emotional sponge
Navigating tricky times as an emotional sponge
My Liberation Notes
This piece is part of a series for paid subscribers to share my experiences and learning that have contributed to Hacking Narcissism’s educational content and my worldview about the human condition and culture. Our stories, when read in good faith, can help us feel seen, less alone, more connected, restore empathy and humanity.
To say that we’re living in turbulent times is an understatement. We are witnessing the collapse of modern Western society and its symptoms of shameless, anti-intellectual, emotionally indulgent Cluster B and Dark Tetrad behaviours.
We are also witnessing multiple movements to resist tyranny and preserve liberty, free (and responsible) speech and promote co-existence. They’re lights in the darkness of ignorance, nihilism and evil.
This is a wake up call about what happens when we let our guards down and foundational values erode enough to enable immorality to infiltrate and metastasise throughout society.
This has been present in the personal lives of many during election campaigns, geopolitical conflict and a global pandemic. You might have already been reeling from political, economic and social upheaval when you discover that some of your relationships are not as rock solid as you believed, nor was the quality of the other person’s character. The upheaval exposed the cracks in your relationships that you had denied or dismissed in the past to keep the peace. The shock of these discoveries in your personal life within the emotionally charged backdrop of collective disillusionment is enough to bring on an existential crisis.
Massive upheaval isn’t the only cause of a crisis. You can also go into a crisis when blindsided by a sudden onset of low mood and energy levels without a known cause.
One sign you’re in a crisis is the gradual loss of joy, vitality, and hope. You might respond to this experience by driving yourself harder to socialise, be productive and mindset shift your way out of these feelings. If you’re not emotionally bypassing or in denial, you might lack the self-awareness needed to recognise you’re in crisis, especially if you’re used to being needed by everyone and still show up when others need you. You don’t hesitate to be there for others and believe you have a good support network and professional life that will keep you going during your own tricky time.
But what if your awesome support network and/or professional life are contributing to your depression?