I guess empathy is a learned skill. But how will we learn if we don’t talk about it?

I can only imagine that being in pain and out of sorts from a menstrual and hormonal disorder like PMDD, and not being believed would be incredibly awful. I’m getting a little taste of it now.

But I didn’t write this piece to promote more nonenpathetic disbelief. I wrote that bit to explain WHY I didn’t have empathy as an ignorant younger woman. It was simply because I didn’t have context for that kind of experience. Not because I woke up one day and decided I was going to just be a judgmental bitch.

Writing is risky, because you open yourself to critiques and then transferred pain of others. But it’s also incredibly liberating to just define yourself and share your experience. You could tell your story if you felt so moved. I bet there are others out there who would read it and appreciate your experience too.

Good luck in your transition.