syrella wrote:
I get very tired out listening to it all...It is all one-sided, at the cost of my emotional well-being....
Does anyone else deal with this? If so, how do you cope? How do you avoid getting taken advantage of emotionally?
Yes, I deal with that.
First and foremost: Congratulations! You must have excellent listening skills. For me, I had to study and practice like hell to develop listening skills. As you've found out, everyone seems to love a good listener, and it has proven one of the key things that I can bring to a true, mutually-supportive friendship.
That's the good news. The bad news is that vulnerable people who desperately need someone to talk to are drawn like moths to a flame. Fortunately, I seem to have a rather stand-offish deportment which can moderate that draw.
For when someone becomes too needy/clingy, the first thing I do is stop doing the "active listening" thing. Because I had to deliberately learn those skills I am rather aware of them and so can turn them off. When thus deprived of their shoulder to cry on, they most often calm down and I can see if there is any potential for a mutually-supportive friendship; often there is not.