Carrying the Country in My Chest: Navigating This Political Moment as an Empath - by MTWBTB

As an empath, I’ve always felt the world a little louder, a little closer, a little deeper than most people around me. But in the United States right now — under an administration defined by rapid shifts, polarization, and constant emotional turbulence — that sensitivity has become both a weight and a compass. I can feel the collective anxiety before I even open my phone. I can sense the tension in conversations that never mention politics. It’s like the emotional climate of the country has settled into my chest.

And I know I’m not alone. A 2024 survey from the American Psychological Association found that 77% of Americans feel significant stress about the future of the nation. That statistic doesn’t surprise me. I feel that stress in the people I love, in the women I serve through my work, and in the communities I move through every day. When the country is anxious, my body knows it before my mind does.

Political psychologists and mental health experts have been clear: the current climate — with its divisive news cycles, rapid policy changes, and emotionally charged rhetoric — is taking a toll on people’s mental health. For empaths, that toll is amplified. We don’t just witness fear, frustration, or uncertainty; we absorb it. We metabolize it. Sometimes we even mistake it for our own.

There are days when the news feels like emotional whiplash. One moment there’s hope, the next there’s heartbreak. One headline lifts me, the next knocks the wind out of me. And because I care deeply about marginalized communities — women, Black women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, the neurodiverse community — I feel the stakes of every policy shift in my bones. Even when I try to stay grounded, the emotional static of the nation hums in the background.

But here’s the truth I keep returning to: empathy is not my weakness. It is my power. Research from Yale highlights that emotions like empathy, love, and hope are essential to a functioning democracy because they keep us connected and engaged. My sensitivity allows me to see people clearly, to hold space, to build community, to create work that heals. It’s the reason I do what I do.

Still, I’ve had to learn how to protect my emotional bandwidth in this moment. Psychologists recommend several strategies for managing political overwhelm, and I’ve woven them into my daily life:

- I set boundaries around news intake so I’m informed but not consumed.

- I ground myself in rituals — journaling, prayer, music, creativity — to release what isn’t mine.

- I stay close to community, because connection reminds me I’m not carrying this alone.

- I channel my emotions into purpose, turning heaviness into art, advocacy, and spaces that uplift women.

Being an empath in this political climate is not easy. But it is meaningful. It reminds me that feeling deeply is a form of resistance — a refusal to become numb in a world that often rewards detachment. My empathy keeps me human, keeps me connected, and keeps me committed to building the kind of world we all deserve.

Sources:

- American Psychological Association. Stress in America Survey, 2024.

- Scientific American. Empathy and Democracy.

- Yale University. Research on Emotions and Civic Engagement.

- American Psychological Association. Political Stress and Mental Health Findings.

- Reporting and analysis from political psychologists on the emotional impact of polarization and rapid policy shifts in the United States.