Unconditional love doesn’t mean self-abandonment.

Animals are the main part of this story, but bare with me for a moment. I used to talk allot about narcissistic relationship recovery, because I’ve been through it in a horrendous way. And empaths naturally attract narcissists because we feel deeply, whereas the narcissist is cut off from their emotions.

The theme around narcissistic relationship prevention and recovery is self-love. Because when we love and respect ourselves, the love-bombing of the narcissist doesn’t have the same impact.

And after the narcissistic relationship, we’re left with a very painful, aching hole in our heart. Then it becomes a lesson in coming back to ourselves, and filling our heart with our own unconditional love.

The narcissist becomes an agent of change. In a strange way, animals are teaching us the same lesson.

This seems to not make allot of sense. As animal empaths, we see animals as having pure hearts who deserve our unconditional love.

But here’s where it gets dicey. If we’re not careful, we can turn ourselves into a doormat of self-abuse, if we’re not careful.

And this isn’t meant to sound critical, because the message comes from the heart. Animals can be a lesson in self-preservation.

But as I watch other animal empaths on social media, I can see the rabbit hole they’re going down. It’s a trail of exhaustion, lack of self-care, and sometimes heartache.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Trying to rescue so many animals that they’re burning themselves out.
• Sacrificing their own wellbeing by doing too much to “help” animals.
• Believing they can save the aggressive animal that nearly puts them in the hospital, and maybe does. (Been there, done that.)
• Draining their energy and bank account for the sake of “love”. (Note the similarity between human and animal relationships.)
• All of this and more can lead to struggling mentally, financially, emotionally and physically (to the point of “dis-ease”).

Animal Wisdom Moment: This is not how animals live their lives, and it’s not how they want us to live ours.

We’re not meant to be the “sacrificial lamb”, because animal wisdom includes the healthy boundary lesson. This is very similar to what the narcissist teaches us. And when we don’t get the lesson, it keeps repeating itself in a not-so-fun kind of way.

So allow me to ask you this question: Are you loving yourself as much as you love animals? If you’re doing the self-care, getting enough rest, covering your own financial needs, etc., then you’re living a balanced life.

But if you’re struggling, drained, exhausted, or just plain doing too much, then it’s time to go deep into what’s going on. First of all, know that there’s no judgement here, because I’ve been there.

For me, it was the “cosmic two-by-four” that kept hitting me over the head, as a reminder to take care of myself. So my mission is to spread that lesson far and wide.

I’m writing this to you because I care deeply about your wellbeing and survival. After all, we need you to be healthy and happy so you keep on doing whatever it is that you do best.

Your unique gifts are needed in the world, now more than ever. Animals need you. People need you.

But your kind, sensitive soul needs to be protected, and only you can do it. No one else can do it for you.

So please take stock in your current situation, and take a look at whether it’s time to set some boundaries. If you’re overloaded, it may be time to take something off your plate, and that’s okay.

Remember not to judge yourself for it, because that’s another layer of treating yourself like a doormat. You don’t deserve that. Instead, you deserve to love yourself as much as you love the animals in your care.

It’s not selfish. It’s not out of character. But it is the only way you can keep doing what you’re doing, while honoring the animals who love you back.

Feel the same love that you give them. Allow it to be unconditional, and instead of struggling, you’ll be thriving, and so will your animal companions.

PS: If you’ve struggled with narcisstic relationships, check out my article Narcissist And Empath: A Ticking Toxic Timebomb