>> Why We Have This Emotion
Vicarious emotions may originate with someone else, but we truly feel them. Rejoicing when your team wins the cup. Mourning the death of a TV character. Being terrified by a scary movie.
◎ What to do in the moment
Good Ideas
- Identify the source of the emotion
- Let the feeling do its job, then let it go
- What can this experience teach you about about your own values?
- Let it build your emotional vocabulary
- Find a day-to-day life application
- Limit exposure to distressing media
Bad Ideas
- Take others’ pain on 24/7
- Over-identify: 'I must suffer too'
- Dismiss these feelings as "not real"
- Claim your experience equals that of those who were actually involved
- Take credit for an outcome where you were just an observer