So many emotions.

Ah, emotions. One of the hardest things about being an empathetic person is the fact that the emotions of others absolutely affect my mood too. If someone is really angry, I get stressed out. If someone is really sad, I feel sad too. It’s made me able to be a really good sounding board for people, and also great at emotional support, but it’s definitely draining as well.

What I’ve noticed lately though is that book characters do this to me too. I finally figured out that this was the reason that I was staying away from Contemporary reads for so long. So many emotions, so much heartbreak and anger, my poor brain just didn’t want to deal with it all.

It’s funny though, because now I find myself straying back into that territory. That’s how I can actually tell that I’m healing, and getting better at managing it all. I just finished reading Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley, and it was absolute perfection. That book took my emotions, ran them through a blender, and poured them into a chilled glass. I finished reading with a feeling of complete exhaustion, because of how much of an emotional rollercoaster I had been on. It felt good though. I embraced it, and it was wonderful.

Are you an empathetic reader? Do the characters you read about have the ability to affect you deeply? I’d love to know!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!