New Found Empathy

Sympathy essentially implies a feeling of recognition of another’s suffering while empathy is actually sharing another’s suffering, if only briefly. Empathy is often characterized as the ability to "put oneself into another’s shoes".

I moved back into my suite this past Monday and I’ve been back to work since Tuesday. The past three days I’ve put in 8 hours of work (I can eat and work at the same time) and tomorrow I will be putting in 6 hours because I can only work 30 hours per week as a student. Before this time I used to only put 20 hours or so a week into cashiering at a retail store in high school, 12 hours at random locations on campus, or 15 hours during the school year. I’ve almost doubled my output and I’m having a slew of mixed emotions about it all.

First of all, I’m extremely proud of myself. This proves, to me at least, that I will be able to work a 40-hour-per-week job and that I can handle 8 hours of work in a day. I worry a bit less about what I’m eating and find it more important just doing the action of eating to fuel me throughout my work. I also feel excited that I’ll be bringing in more income that I can put toward my student loans and maybe set a small bit of it aside for a trip to Florida that I would love to take.

At the same time I also feel confused, almost lost. My days have consisted of working out in the morning, breakfast, work, coming home and cooking for either that night’s dinner or lunch and dinner the next night, watching some videos on the internet and reading, and going to bed. Rinse and repeat. Is life supposed to be this repetitive during the week when you have a job? I think it might be a bit perplexing to my body and mind that I’ve been working so much compared to what I’m used to, though I will admit it’s easier than going to class, studying and doing 15 hours of work per week. Maybe I just need to find more hobbies or put more effort into the ones I already have.

Which leads me to my last sensation from all of this: exhaustion. Before I could only sympathize with those who work long days and then come home and lack the energy or ambition to do much else whereas now I believe I can empathize. I don’t really want to cook or think or move around much after a long day at work and it saddens me somewhat because I’m on a computer most of the day to begin with. I can now see why many people, especially parents, resort to quick and easy methods for food, or why we invest in television or other things to entertain us without a physical input requirement.

However, I still cook, I still prepare healthy food; I still take the time to workout in the morning, stretch and move around a bit at work, and I’m trying to do my best to work on eating outside of my home. While I do feel the same exhaustion and fatigue that others do with a full-time job (at least for right now), I still make a healthy lifestyle a priority for me. Sure, it would be just as easy to throw a bunch of bread and carrot sticks and hummus into a box and take it with me, or grab some Larabars and Naked juice and fly through the day, or even eat all of the cookies that the bakery produces while they test recipes at work, but I wouldn’t feel as great as I do when I eat wholesome, nutritious food. I cannot believe that most of us honestly do not “have the time” to make healthy food or go for a walk in the morning for even 10 minutes. Sure, there are some special cases I can imagine, but for the most part, it’s a priority issue. I’m almost positive we’re all aware of this too. I just wish that people would stop lying – to others and themselves – and tell the truth “I don’t want to take the time to do x.” You have the time, but it’s not as important to you as it is to others, so you don’t do it. Just please stop saying “I don’t have time,” because most of us could easily make the time.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just work that’s got me a bit stressed and stretched at the moment. Am I the only one that feels this way? I doubt it, but sometimes I feel that way.

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