How to be a compassionate person without being a dumping ground - GPT nails this one

How different is it between allowing people to have an opinion on things (and vent to you) vs allowing negativity in your life? Like I don’t want to consume this negative energy, that I feels like presumably can be just due to the person chose to wear the negative lens to see things (or choose to focus on the negative side of things). But then, they can actually be a negative experience. Then, am I not holding space for it, am I behaving in a way that tells people to not have a feelings about thing and talk about it and shove it down? Or am I just protecting my energy? I mean, I am having a normal day, why do I have to align myself to that toxic energy and be like damn I hate that person too?

Or maybe, this is another boundary question? Damn, I love and hate human paradox at the same time.

You can witness their frustration, sadness, or hurt without needing to mirror or fix it.
It’s like throwing up in your emotional living room and walking away.
I connect best with depth, not duty, not scattered and drained availability