Being an Empath
I cry at everything. News headlines, a poignant song lyric, a cute dog on the street. Growing up, family and friends often told me I was too sensitive, and for most of my life, my anxiety was completely out of control. When I was around 15 years old, my mom took me to an energy healer where I finally learned that I am an Empath: someone who doesn’t just acknowledge the emotions of others, but actually takes them on themselves.
This was around 2006, and for the last two years I’ve only just begun the hard work to take care of myself. I’m both an emotional and psychical Empath, which means that not only do I take on the emotions of other people, but I take on physical symptoms as well. Someone in the room has a headache? So do I. Someone else experiencing depression? Same here. And horrible stomach cramps? You have it, I got it. Living daily life as an Empath can be painful and exhausting, especially if you don’t have the knowledge or skills to process emotions and set boundaries.
So, what exactly is an Empath and how do you know if you are one? Here’s a list to get you started:
Intense exhaustion after talking with others (also a trait of being an Introvert, which is most common among Empaths)
Feeling a sudden physical sensation or emotion after entering a room with other people (ie: the vibe feels off or “bad”)
People often tell you you’re “too sensitive”
You struggle to set emotional boundaries
Energy vampires are drawn to you (more on this another time, but check out my teacher Lisa Campion’s info on energy vampires here)
You’re extremely sensitive to light, sound and certain foods
You’re deeply drawn to animals and nature as a source of energy healing
If any of these things resonate with you, then welcome to the club! You are officially an Empath, too. And it’s not such a bad club to be in. There are so many beautiful gifts that come along with being an Empath, like natural healing abilities and the power of intuition. Did you know that all Empaths are psychic, but not all psychics are Empaths? I’ll do a post on this another time, but one of the greatest gifts that comes with being an Empath is a first class ticket into the world of psychic abilities.
My challenge to you now is to work on recognizing and differentiating between when a feeling is your own, and when it isn’t. The next time you walk into a room and your emotions start boiling over, ask yourself, is this emotion mine or someone else’s? Don’t overthink it- your intuition will guide you. My next post will be more on how to deal with the challenges of being an Empath and the self care we have to rely on to get through daily life. If you have questions or comments, I would love to hear them in the comments section below or in a private DM.