Hi! For the most part this is a positive post, I’ve been in recovery for a few months now, clean for 50 days and I’m generally doing pretty good. The thing is, throughout my depression I’ve always struggled with just how sensitive I am. Most of my trauma is more due to my sheer sensitivity and inability to even hear other people’s problems. I personally had a very hard time last year, but when I think back on that I can deal with it. When I hear other people’s struggles and trauma it can terrify me, even more so if I know them in real life, and even more so if they’re a friend, it can even cause panicking. My counsellor has told me I probably have quite a bit of vicarious trauma, and I’m quite susceptible to it due to my personality.

I think it might be due to a combination of feeling the need to be worse than other people in order for me to feel valid in my own struggles and just being such an overly emotional person. It makes me feel really guilty because, whilst I always prioritise myself these days, when a loved one opens up to me I want to be able to support them and make them feel comfortable rather than the other way around, that’s not fair on them. I literally want to be a therapist one day, so I need to be mentally stronger. I was wondering if anyone had advice on how I can manage my own emotions and do my best to keep the competitive part of my mental illness at bay?