It’s become almost a weekly event that a story goes viral about someone that acted with compassion for another in need. The viral momentum of these stories is a reflection of what a lot of us desire in our hearts – a more compassionate and caring world.
Compassion is one of the most supportive energies of love we can give. It benefits the sender and receiver. While we may not always see how our compassion nurtures, supports and heals others, we instinctively know that it is important to feel and essential for humanity.
As we witness our world going through waves of chaos from extreme weather, acts of terrorism, man-made and natural disasters, etc., we feel our hearts being pulled towards those who are affected.
At times we might feel drained and stressed from what we thought was giving compassion. Like when a friend is going through a really tough time, we might feel that our efforts to care are actually pulling us down. This energy drain and depletion comes mostly from unbalanced empathetic care. Empathy can produce strong feelings of care but often comes with tentacles that create an over-attachment to what we care about.
Learning to balance our empathetic interactions can help us understand the tone of true compassion -and as we balance and manage our care we increase the effectiveness of our compassion.
The topics of care versus overcare and understanding true compassion are important subjects discussed in chapter ten of the book Heart Intelligence: Connecting with the Intuitive Guidance of the Heart. Doc Childre, one of the book’s authors and the founder of HeartMath, provides a deeper understanding around these topics and offers practices to help people find their balance point.
As we’ve seen in Brussel’s this week, it’s our care and compassion for each other that can help us stay strong and resilient. We can use our heart’s intelligence to maintain our balance – and it’s within that balance that our care and compassion will be its most effective.
With Care,
Your Friends at HeartMath
