Own It...If Its Yours

One of the earliest lessons my mother taught me was never to take what didn’t belong to me.  And if I ever did, I would have to own what came with what I took. It wasn’t “if you break it you buy it”, it was “if you take it you’ll get broken”.  Obviously, this applied to physical things but the principle applies to our emotional lives as well. 

Without adequate boundaries, we accept and assume ownership of things that don’t belong to us. I’ve come to the realization that some of my times of distress were the result of taking on the emotional distress of someone else. For example, if you spend enough time with an anxious person,  you’ll entertain worry and suspicion - if you aren’t careful.

One of the keys to growing in wisdom is owning your emotions, not the emotions of others.