Imagine that one of your best friends is going through an incredibly difficult time. Maybe she even ends up in the hospital, and her children are all at home missing her like crazy, and she is struggling to be away from them, and her husband is trying to hold it all together. There are a lot of tests your friend has to go through. Some painful. She’s scared. Her family is scared. You’re scared. How do you respond?
If you’re on the more introverted side of the scale, chances are, you might recoil to the safety of your own home, wanting to help but unsure of how to do so. Or maybe you can’t even imagine how you’d be able to walk into your friend’s hospital room without losing it. And how is that going to make anything better?
I was reading Holley Gerth’s book, The Powerful Purpose of Introverts, and I came upon a passage that explains what happens when introverts find themselves in this situation. She shares that though introverts are often seen as distant, aloof, and apathetic, the opposite is usually true.
She writes, "Many introverts actually care so much it overwhelms them."
Is that you? Introvert or not, do you care so much that the pain of others is overwhelming? Do you cry when you see others crying? Does your heart break when you see the wounds in someone else’s heart?
Today, we are talking about how to recognize overwhelm and what we can do when we experience it.
Kari
RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:
· Episode 115: Standing Between: The Ministry of Intercession
· Episode 114: [Book Recommendation] The Powerful Purpose of Introverts by Holley Gerth
· Episode 103: 6 Strategies to Manage Overwhelm, Stress, and Change
· Courageous Care Masterclass: Learn to C.A.R.E. Because you already care. Learn how to do it in a healthy, God-honoring way.
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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
>> Written Spiritual Direction: Recognize God’s presence in your pain
