Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes

Knowing when to let someone go even when you experience authentic empathy for them.

Do you feel that that once you experience authentic empathy for someone you will keep them in your life forever? How do you know it is time to let someone go? Does this change when you believe you understand them and experience authentic empathy for them? Do you believe that letting people’s words or actions negatively affect you, shows a lack of authentic empathy on your part?

When we meet people, we start off trying to understand them and have them understand us. Sometimes, understanding is all it takes for people to be in our lives forever. Other times, it takes developing authentic empathy for them. Experiencing authentic empathy for them when they say what they say, do what they do, and are the away they are. In the end, you accept them for who and what they are. You accept that their words and actions come from the right place. You accept them.

Sometimes, acceptance is not enough. Sometimes, you can understand someone, experience authentic empathy for that person and still have that person’s words or action have a negative effect on you. When that happens to you, I invite you to either figure out a way for that person not to have a net-negative effect on your life or to let them go. If things are bad, there is no need for you to be a martyr and keep them in your life.

You can experience authentic empathy for someone, love them for who they are and still let them go.

How this applies to fear…

When it comes to fear and letting someone go who negatively affects us that we also experience authentic empathy towards, many of us fear that we will regret letting the person go. We make excuses for keeping them in our lives. To work through this fear, we need to realize the truth in the old saying; when one door closes another one opens. As we move on from the people who negatively affect us, we open our hearts and lives and make room for the people who will positively impact us.

How this applies to WACASHWI…

When it comes to WACASHWI and letting someone go who negatively affects us that we also experience authentic empathy towards, the people you keep in your life will influence you along your journey. If you keep people who have a negative impact on you, they will have a negative influence on your journey. I invite you to work to keep people close to you who positively impact your life and your journey.

Your daily invitations…

• I invite you to think about one person in your life that you empathize with and that adds to your stress level.
• I invite you to consider why you are experiencing the additional stress.
• I invite you to write down your thoughts, feelings, and actions in your journal.
• I invite you to talk to the person you are thinking about to see what can be done about the stress you are experiencing.

Final step – how will you implement one thing you learned today in your life?

This all is but one step in your journey to living a more stress-free life, beating the demons of fear, and raising your level of authentic empathy towards yourself and others.

I appreciate you!