[mock-possum]

Think of it like the difference between idly leafing through a book, versus studying a textbook as if your life depended on it - one is an inconsequential pastime, the other is an exhausting task made all the more stressful by its importance.

Emotional labor is dealing with other people’s emotions, not in the first sense described in the paragraph above, but in the second - paying close attention, thinking critically, interpreting what you see and hear and feel in an effort to help someone in some way. It’s shouldering their emotional burden, to some degree, to support them, as best you can - same as physical labor might be.

[brigandish]

I read the blog, and the situations given - which are common in most workplaces - wouldn't lead me to compare them to a life or death situation in any way.

I also can't imagine thinking that concentrating on someone's speech while in conversation with them as taxing, beyond the normal difficulties that attempting concentration can bring.

Perhaps I'm missing something. The only time I could think of such things as laborious would be when faced with intransigence or my own frustration, and that's really about not getting my own way.

Isn't it normal to try to have good, productive conversations, pay attention to others, and give support where needed?