What am I carrying that was never mine to hold? Where in my body do I feel that weight?And what might it feel like to gently let it go?
Take a moment to breathe into that awareness. Release with intention. Reclaim your center.
Interpreting Mantra: “I can hold space without holding everything. My presence is powerful enough.”
Empathy with boundaries isn’t a wall. It’s not rigid. Not sharp. Not cold.
It’s a breath. A pattern. A living, moving pulse that keeps you connected without losing yourself.
You inhale their experience—deeply, consciously. You let their story rise in your chest, settle in your awareness. You allow yourself to feel. To care. To be with them in that sacred in-between.
But then you exhale.
You come back to you. To your body. To your baseline. To the truth that what they are carrying is not yours to hold forever. This is the art of compassionate empathy: You breathe in presence. You breathe out attachment.
And just like breath, it’s cyclical. It happens again and again—moment to moment, session to session, client to client.
What do you do when you’re emotionally flooded or feel drained after a job? Let’s swap strategies for staying grounded and resilient.
We’re thrilled to have so many new people join our community! This is your space to grow, connect, and thrive as interpreters. Whether you're here to sharpen your skills, boost your emotional intelligence, or find your people—you're in the right place.
Let’s break the ice!
Drop a comment below and share:
Your name and where you're from
Your favorite interpreting memory or a fun fact about you
What you're hoping to learn or gain from this group
Hi There! My name is Barbara Lewis and I'm from Long Island. I started my journey as an interpreter in 2007. I took a 4 year hiatus to serve as an EA to the CEO of a Deaf owned company. While still using my ASL skills everyday, it wasn't te same as being out in the field. My first job back was with a consumer I worked with many times in the past. It was a very happy reunion, however, I'm a bit rusty and really need to sharpen both my signing and receptive skills. I'm so happy to be here!
Breathing. Finding a person to confide in to talk about the emotions (try to avoid the the details of the work) and sit in them. Every once in a while, a good cry feels right since thats one way to drain the emotions... literally. Big smile.