Emotions are contagious.

When someone you care about is happy it brightens your day; when you are around them it lifts you up inside. When this person is sad it makes your heart ache; when you're around them you cry with them. And when this person is so stressed out that they need time to consider their priorities and goals, all you can do is hope that you stay on top of that list and try to ignore the knot in your stomach telling you this month is going to be hell... while reminding yourself that they are worth it.

We don't just live life for ourselves, we live it for others as well. What makes us happy makes others happy, and when we are sad it effects every person we come in contact with. The man that lost his job may be an ass at the restaurant and the woman that is going through a divorce probably yelled at the store clerk. Whether you believe it or not, your emotions are not your own.

It is true that many people are good at hiding themselves, but even a true master at hiding can still be seen from the right angle, and with all of the people in this world, there is certainly not an angle undiscovered. However, for most of us, we show what we feel and we feel what we show, either boosting ourselves or letting ourselves down. It is this energy that encircles us and, when in contact with another, becomes transferred, even if against our will.

I find that stress is often the least likely of the emotions to transfer, but when it does it often has the most effect. It is easy to stand back and watch someone putter around manically and to wish they would settle down, but when it finally transfers over all you want to do is run. Run not from them, but from the feelings that you are both now holding, feelings that can be so relentless. You know what they are feeling and you want to be supportive (even if its not something you believe in) but now these emotions are yours as well. When it's someone you care about all you can do is hope that soon enough they will drop their stress not only for themselves, but also for you.

So be mindful, my fellow readers, both in the sense of passing off your emotions to unprepared citizens, but also in holding back judgements when the 'idiot' in front of you in the line is not coping well with a situation, you just never know what kind of day he/she has had. And when you can, when you are strong enough and a person means enough to you, lend out an extra shoulder to help them limp along, cause one day you might need theirs as well.

It may be hard now, and it may seem like this will never end, you might not even believe that their is going to be an end, but all you can do is hope to god that there is and that the other side is going to be more then green, its going to be golden.