I'm so sorry, atmosblack.  It is a sort of cruel life experience for an empath.  And I do think you are right (so right) about empaths taking on essentially other people's 'stuff' - it's hard to differentiate (for me anyway) other than if I'm in a super happy mood and then it suddenly changes.  In any case, years ago, I learned a valuable lesson regarding being an empath (something that I felt could either be a gift or curse) that what we take into ourselves becomes ours and it really doesn't need to be labeled or figured out (who gave me this! lol)....we are capable of transmuting that energy into something more neutral/positive to send back out into the world.  We can basically be like the liver of the body, cleaning out bad energy.  That kind of freed me.  But I have had to go 'no contact' this last year and it is very, very painful and my mother is that person.  Something that should not be.  Love from me to you and all of us that struggle with this.  I don't think this type of situation lends to happy endings, sadly...other than the ones we create in our own life ~  Thus, "You have wings".....Let's use them ;)