Are you too empathetic? Do you always put other people's feelings or needs before your own?

Question

Do you feel guilty (majorly majorly majorly) guilty if you hurt another person's feelings even when you know (intellectually) that they are just trying to put you on a guilt trip? How do you get over this?

Answer 1

No, I don't.  I used to feel same way like you.  But after finding out facts about feelings, I could stop feeling guilty when I hurt another person's feelings.  

After all, you are responsible for your feelings and not another person's feelings.  You can control how you feel but not another person's.  Finally, you cannot make everyone happy.  Again you are not responsible for other people's happiness.

Answer 2

I sometimes put other peoples requests before my own, but never I do this in the situation that they will abuse me. I feel guilty if I hurt someones feelings but if a person has hurt my feelings in the past then if I find him/her sorry and if I feel that she/he wont do that again, I will forgive, but if he/she doesn't feel guilty for hurting my feelings then I will hurt her/his feelings in the same way (not worst than what he/she has done) and I wont feel guilty or even sorry.

Answer 3

I think you mean "sympathetic".  Empathy and sympathy are different things.  Hard to tell apart sometimes, and difficult to explain the difference.  

Its sympathy which make one feel guilty of sad  about how others feel.  Empathy is a more centered thing, knowing the feelings of others yet...not getting sucked into the vortex of it.  

I do both. Sometimes I wish I could turn it all off and just feel my own stuff.