I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this. Unfortunately as a fellow empath I am all too familiar with what you're going through. I've read some of the other comments and I must say it is vital for you to protect yourself. If you are not strong enough to tell someone that you cannot take their burden you must limit your interaction with them for your own health and well-being. Those people are called vampires. They sense your ability even if they don't understand it consciously. There are some tools you can use you can Google them. Like imagining a bubble around yourself and not letting others emotions touch you. The bubble stretches like elastic and you literally bounce those emotions back as they come to you. It takes practice it does work though. I think mostly because you're making a conscious decision not to accept other people's burdens. But it is critical for you to limit your interaction with people who only take from you. And you know who those people are by how you feel afterwards. Do you feel uplifted or do you feel exhausted. Unfortunately if you do not make these changes you may become a vampire yourself forced to take to get the energy back from other people that was taken from you. And I don't know any empath that wants that for themself.