How do I cope being stuck between candidates and hiring managers?

You read people well, which is exactly why you feel the strain. You get attached to candidates whose futures are in your hands, and then hiring managers keep moving the goalposts. Caught in that middle, you take the disappointment from both sides. That is a wearing place to work. The trap is thinking you can control the outcome. You cannot make the manager decide or the candidate get chosen. What you can control is being honest and steady with each side. You give the candidate a fair, clear picture. You push the manager to know their own mind. You are the bridge, not the one who gets to pick who crosses. Protect your heart a little without going cold. Care about your candidates, but hold the outcome loosely, because it was never fully yours. When a manager changes their mind again, name it plainly and calmly instead of absorbing it as your fault. You will still feel the pull from both directions. But you can stand in the middle as an honest broker instead of a punching bag.