The Contagious Anxiety

A couple of days ago, when I was doom-scrolling on YouTube Shorts as a way of relaxing, I guess, I heard some loud shouting from the street. We live in an apartment complex and don't know most of our neighbors; we used to, but as the years passed, most of them moved out, and now we're only acquainted with a handful of them...

When I checked the doorbell camera to see what was happening, I saw two women and one man yelling and swearing at the doorbell, threatening to call the police. I had and still don't have any idea what their problem was and who they were even talking to, but I do remember what I was feeling at that moment vividly: Anxiety.

That was not the first time I got this feeling of second-hand anxiety, whenever I went to my friend's house and for whatever reason they yelled at him, I got anxious too, and it was as if they were yelling at me; Or when I'm driving and I see two drivers cursing and threatening each other and even get out of the car to fight and I can't help but to worry if something bad happens to one of them even though it will not affect my life even in a slightest.

I tried to reflect on this and figure out how to overcome this unpleasant feeling, and you'd think now that I'm writing about it, I have a solution, but I don't. I keep telling myself that I have enough on my plate already and can't worry about other people's problems or miseries, and worrying or having any sort of negative feelings will do no good for them or me, but I guess you really can't control what you feel.

I tried to look at it more positively, a blessing instead of a curse. Maybe if you feel other people's pain and anxiety, their happiness and sorrow, it's a part of being a human. I have seen some indifferent individuals, people who won't care if their neighbor dies of a heart attack, or if a car runs over a dog in the street, and although to some that may seem like some sort of power, I just see it as missing a big part of your humanity.

So over the past week, I've been trying to embrace this feeling and look at it as a kind of sympathy and caring for other human beings. I would appreciate any advice or simple experiences in the comments

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