Often, we get sucked into the problems of others. Let’s call these people conflicted individuals. In your interactions with them, you usually end up talking about unrelated things that stress you both.
It is common for them to direct their conflicts at you, and they may even blame you for it.
Yes, these individuals need empathy. But if they are unwilling to change, it is not your responsibility to try to understand them.
Every time you try to help them, they will erupt like angry volcanoes, pointing out every single issue in their life. Then they will creatively relate the cause of those problems to you. My mentee had this conflict with this individual, and I told him, “It’s not your garbage.” Here’s the analogy:
It is not necessary to pay attention to those who are constantly complaining, stuck in their limited beliefs, and who continually spew hate, anger, and blame.
Don’t waste time on these people. All that verbal drama they are hurling at you—that’s not your trash.
The same way you would not clean up your careless neighbor’s mess, you are not responsible for anyone’s garbage. If you pick up and clean their mess, they will be expecting you to pick up their garbage every time.
Don’t get caught up in their emotional drama. You are not ignoring them, but stay away from them until they clean up.
They can be guided toward tools to resolve their internal conflicts until they become aware of the pain they have caused themselves and others.
You have a sense of dignity and self-worth, and you should not waste your time cleaning up others’ mess—because it’s not your garbage!