Lizard Lady

I seem to be a chameleon - not the first entry in Webster's (any of a group of Old World Lizards with granular skin, prehensile tail, independently moving eyeballs and the unusual ability to change the color of the skin), but the second entry (a fickle or changeable person or thing).  Upon consideration, parts of the first entry do suit me at present, however, that is not what I want to talk about right now.

I am a copycat.  Not outright so  much - but, well - I am an emotion thief...I eat up the emotions I see in other people, read in books - and then - those emotions become me, or I become them...that energy becomes my energy.  I am overly sensitive and spongelike.  Am I stealing those emotions, or are they thrust upon me?

What do you call it?

empathy:

1. the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it. 
2. the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thought and experiences of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts and experience fully communicated in the objectively explicit manner.

sympathy:

1. having common feelings,emotions, experience
2. an affinity, an association or relationship between persons or things wherin whatever affects one similarly affects the other
3. mutual or parallel susceptability or a condition brought about by it
4. unity or harmony in action or effect, emotional or intellectual accord, feeling of loyalty, tendency to favor or support
5. the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another
6. the correlation existing between two bodies capable of communicating their vibrational energy to one another through some medium

All of these fit me at one time or another.  (Yup, even number 6). 

See - this is why I cannot work in business.  Because most people do not act this way.  Most people act like practical adults and just do their jobs without taking "feelings" too seriously, because, well - It's business.

Anyway - the reason I am writing about this is because it is bothering me quite a bit right now. 

I recently read four books in a row that dealt with some serious psychological trauma of women.  I became terribly depressed, so much so that Boyd was worried.  I began reading a book about an elephant last night - and this morning I was not so sad.  I am encouraged by the bravery and clean spirits of nature and her beasts. 

I am an easy mark for salesmen too.

In a large way I love my sensitive nature, but it can become scary to me at times...and painful.  I do want to understand people and things, but do I have to take on their energy as well?  How do you stop that ... that ... naivete?