You are allowed to have boundaries, especially now. Part of caring about you as a person is respecting your boundaries. What people need from you to comfort themselves does not supersede this. You do not exist to make those around you feel better while you feel worse.

It is so, so tempting to believe that you can push all your own needs and feelings away forever and exist solely as an emotional support beam for those around you but you can’t do that because no one can, and it’s okay.

This also applies to people who knowingly cross your boundaries and disguise it as seeking validation. You are allowed to have limits even then. They can seek validation elsewhere.