There are moments when someone you care about is upset: a partner, a friend, a family member, and before you realize it, their emotion has become yours.

It starts small. A heaviness or tightness in your chest, a sense of resistance or overwhelm creeping in. If it’s intense, maybe even a tension in your gut or a flicker of anxiety.

You want to help. You want to listen with empathy. But somewhere along the way, you begin to carry their feelings as if they were your own.