Sensitivity

[Hemera]

I think I am very sensitive and it makes being in the world very painful at times.

Today I left my home to walk my dog and spotted the lady who takes my dog for a walk once a week. I quickly realised something was wrong. She got out her van and said one of the dogs had ran off and she was desperately searching for it. She looked awful and my heart broke. I told her I'd call her if I saw the dog. Unfortunately I didn't. I don't know if the dog has been found.

The point is that this situation has changed the entire mood of my day. I was reasonably upbeat earlier, now all I can think about is the dog walker and how awful she must feel that she lost a dog in her care, and about the dog out lost and whether it will be ok or maybe knocked down by a car. The thoughts keep going around my head and I feel so devastated. I'm finding it all so hard. It involves an animal which is even worse as I'm an animal lover and extra sensitive to any sort of suffering involving animals.

I know there's nothing I can do (I can't walk far or drive so looking for the dog isn't an option beyond what I've done already) but I feel so awful for the dog walker.

How do I manage these types of situations better? Meditate? Protect my aura? It ends up with me feeling that the world is too painful for me to deal with. The dog walker is due to pick my dog up tomorrow and I'm scared she will tell me the dog died.