This stressor can be very difficult to negotiate. You really feel for your family member/friend/colleague, you help in every way you can think of without overstepping, but you can't "fix it" for them.
Someone who feels others' pain is often called an empath, with people who don't or can't feel OPP termed sociopaths, psychopaths or narcissists, all of three of which are clinical diagnoses (despite our propensity for using these terms colloquially!).
One form of OPP - bereavement - seems to fall into its own category.
People who would normally think of themselves as compassionate and empathetic don't know what to say to the bereaved person, so they say/do nothing. They might attend the funeral and then they "give the bereaved person space", perhaps not realising that everyone else is doing the same thing, and the bereaved person is left feeling isolated and bereft.
How do you deal with OPP? Does it effect you emotionally or physically? Do you do your best to not think about the situation? Love to know your thoughts.
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