There is a line in Lorraine Hansberry’s 1964 play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, that has always resonated with me. Pressed about his passionate nature, the title character blurts out, “I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care.” I know this feeling well.
Trying to suppress care and concern is more exhausting for me than allowing myself to feel them. In the past, I realize that my approach to caring was all-or-nothing, which meant that my feelings were full on all the time. There was no space for modulation or moderation.
I still care about it all. It still takes too much energy not to care. However, it takes me less energy to care than it used to and that is the key.
Seriously, Jerk Brain? 