Dear mmMekitty~
I'm very pleased. You have put your finger (paw?) on the trouble and it is very common, reasonable, to be expected and takes practice to overcome. By limiting who you interact with you have taken an excellent step some simply cannot do. The longer one is here the easier I believe it is to still have empathy but not be overwhelmed.
Yes of course the Forum is full of angst, and the point of being here is to receive and hopefully give hope and ease people with one's own experiences - in a way that benefits you to, not causes you distress..Nobody is here to 'fix' other's circumstances or issues, it is not our aim. Just caring and listening and occasionally giving suggestions from your own life where appropriate is what we are here for.
The whole thing is a team, and nobody needs to bear a load by themselves, or do more than they are COMFORTABLE with.
Some people do not answer particular posts which contain things that are personally distressing, others answer a person once and then go on to another poster, not building up a relationship. Some people have a set limit of responses per session as I do, and some walk away for regular breaks, which I do too.
If you look at the modest expectations of Community Champs you will see that you have been doing far more that even a Champ is required to do - all on your own
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-involved/join-our-online-community/become-an-online-community-champion
So basically you have tried to hard too long and need to moderate your expectations of yourself. You are not alone, countless others are here to share the load. You also have neither failed nor let anyone down. you never have, and I believe are incapable of, doing harm.
Sophie_M talked sense, and I'm certain you can modify your actions, which will in turn modify your feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and guilty - and then you can BE HAPPY in your presence here.
No, you are not allowed to be happy by poking fun at walruses!
Croix
