When Caring Feels Too Heavy

This article discusses how caring for others can feel overwhelming, a phenomenon known as "empathic distress." It distinguishes between empathy, which is feeling another's pain and can lead to burnout, and compassion, which is about being present with someone's suffering without being consumed by it. The article concludes that true healing comes not from trying to fix a person's pain but from the simple act of being present and staying near them.