What is wrong with me!

DeltaWhite

I just cannot deal with issues such as.. animal cruelty etc.

I would be in floods of tears hearing something on the news for example, the little dog who was almost ripped to shreds by a hunting pack this weekend. I cannot deal with things like that and it's starting to really affect me I cant even watch nature programmes, my heart just breaks! It's just ridiculous to feel this emotional about animals and I dont even know where these emotions stem from

I'm a grown woman and I suppose I would have always felt like this from a young age! Am I honestly going to have to go speak to a counsellor? I would feel like an idiot going to a counsellor about something like this especially when I consider other things in my life that would be way more important.

I know I'm not the only one, is there anyone out there who can offer me advice for this?

RossFixxxed

Hi OP, it sounds like you have a lot of empathy (which is great) but it is affecting your day to day life (which is NOT good).

If it is affecting your quality of life, or there is something you are held back from then I would suggest a councellor or such. It might sound silly to you, but how bad would it have to be to be not silly anymore? My point being that if it is having an impact on your quality of life go now. I've been there, and there was more to it in my case than just feeling a bit sad at bad news.

You can avoid the papers and the news, but these things creep in. TV is getting more and more depressing lately too. I suggest avoiding this sort of 'misery porn' where possible but talking about it to someone in a healthy way would not be a bad idea! They are professionals and are there to help! They won't see it as a waste of time, or being silly they'll be busy figuring out what steps to take to help you! I say go for it!

Delta, I have a feeling that there is more to this story than just animals etc, it seems to stem from a tragedy perhaps? That was the same in my case. You even seem drawn to sadder stories here, and you have commented on my own personal tragedy afaik (it was an anon post btw). EDIT: Nope you didn't sorry my bad, just saw your name thanking a few posts around it. My bad.

Mind yourself and don't belittle these things. They are important to you so there are very important!

Best of luck!

Roisy7

Hey DeltaWhite,

As you said yourself, you're not alone. In fact it is a positive thing that you have so much empathy. I too recently found myself in floods of tears at a nature documentary about polar bears! (I won't tell you what happened, it was way too sad).

However, if you feel it is becoming a problem for you then you need to disengage slightly. I know at least two friends of mine (we must be a sensitive bunch!) who outright refuse to watch anything like Animal A&E, they know that they will find it too upsetting.

The news is SO depressing at the moment, and while I'd be very much a person to keep abreast of current affairs, there are times I've had to change the channel in the last few months.

So advice... ? I tend to agree with RossFixxed, that there is something going on in your own life that is drawing you to sad things, and it's like... if you're feeling positive, you tend to feel the world is a positive place, if you know what I mean? You notice the "and finally" story more in the news than you do the depressing main story. So if there's something going on, you need to address it.

Also, I am a person who tends to get angry rather than sad, especially at things in the news. Not always the most positive emotion, but it can be channelled into positive things. Maybe you could volunteer with an animal charity? I know you may find that too depressing, and yes, you would see horrible things, but you would see kindness too, and the wag of a tail maybe its own reward

Hope this helps x

skyfall2012

Hi Delta white, I would just like to add that Doctors see some very sad and distressing things in their work everyday, but they are taught to detach themselves from these events as they wouldn't last 5 mins in the job, they would become overwhelmed. So as already stated try and detach yourself from these things. Maybe talk to someone about how your feelings, as it may be more complicated than we can conclude here.

DeltaWhite

Folks I have to say, very very helpful info you have given me I am going to try the detach route and also definitely think the other issues in my life are affecting me subconsciously! So will work on that. Thanks so much for the advice and hopefully I won't have emotional episodes watching nature documentaries in future

blatantrereg

When you eat meat, you ingest hormones in the meat, which can in turn effect your mood. The more distressed the animal, the more mood-effecting hormones you ingest. In particular, the more brutal and terrifying the slaughter, the more of these hormones will be present. If you eliminate meat from your diet you will probably find your mood stabilises a great deal.

Adults usually develop the ability to detach and distance themselves emotionally to a large extent, and develop the ability to govern their emotions rationally. I found that working in an SPCA animal shelter helped me develop the ability to distance myself emotionally from animal cruelty. Some of the animals I looked after there were in shockingly bad condition. Sometimes people came to visit to look at the animals. The really bad cases invoked revulsion usually, rather than compassion.

Honestly, considerable distress at how much cruelty animals are subjected to is completely reasonable. Most people just close their eyes to it entirely. One well known documentary on the subject is Earthlings. It focuses on inducing the sort of emotional reaction you describe really. I think there would have to be something wrong with a person not to be upset by that film. I've watched some pretty gruesome stuff, but that was the only film I saw in my adult life where I needed to stop watching at one point.

fatmammycat

blatantrereg wrote: »

When you eat meat, you ingest hormones in the meat, which can in turn effect your mood. The more distressed the animal, the more mood-effecting hormones you ingest. In particular, the more brutal and terrifying the slaughter, the more of these hormones will be present. If you eliminate meat from your diet you will probably find your mood stabilises a great deal.

Citation please, I've never heard of this.