How do I stay present to others' pain without losing myself?

You stand with people at the worst moments of their lives, again and again, and you do it while quietly tending your own soul. That is a rare and heavy calling. The weight you feel is not a sign you are failing at it. It is the honest cost of staying open to that much pain. You cannot pour out without also being filled. Presence is not endless by willpower alone. The people you serve need you steady, and you cannot be steady if you never set the load down. Tending your own faith is not selfish here. It is what keeps the well from running dry. Build one small practice that is only for you, not for anyone you serve. A short walk, a prayer, a silence you protect each day. Let it be the place where you are cared for instead of caring. You give from the overflow, and the overflow needs guarding as fiercely as you guard those you sit beside.