What We Can Learn From Apathy

Indifference could be a solution to emotional exhaustion.

My sister sent a message to our group chat the other day complaining about the long line at the testing centre for Covid. Surprised, I immediately rang her to get some answers, since I had no idea she needed a test — what symptoms did she have? How bad were they?

We live in different countries and we have seen each other just twice in the last year because of the travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. Before she had a chance to answer the phone, I already felt scared and helpless at the prospect that my sister was ill and I couldn’t be there for her.

My sister answered the call and sounded like she had a cold. She was coughing — the main symptom of the virus. I didn’t show it, but I went into panic mode. After I hung up the phone I started crying. My husband took our son into another room to allow me to gather myself.

My fear took control of me. I had awful vivid visions of my sister and felt worried for her daughter. My heart rate increased, my breathing was short, and I started sweating.

It took me a few minutes, but I did come out of it. I sipped some water, counted to 10, reminded myself of the importance of my health and brought myself back to the room by looking around and listing what I saw.

Logic made its way back into my brain. My sister is young, fit, and healthy. Statistics are on her side. Either way, whether she had the virus or not, she would be fine — I told myself.

The moral of the story is, I am a highly sensitive person, and I can easily become consumed with emotions of fear and worry for others. Even though I came out of my anxiety attack, I was on edge all day. When my sister got her results that evening and confirmed she did not have the virus, I was relieved but still felt anxious.

Fear lingers.

Empathy is one of the best self-improvement habits we can nurture in order to bring about a sense of fulfilment. I have a whole article about it which you can find here.

To summarise, empathy is arguably intrinsically good for you. There are many…

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