THE TRUTH ABOUT EMPATHS

THE TRUTH ABOUT EMPATHS

From my own experience, I didn’t even know what an empath was until a few years ago when my Spiritual Awakening happened. Suddenly, everything made sense: I knew why I cry at funerals (even if I never knew the person), why I can’t watch horror films, and why other people’s problems and issues stay with me long after contact with the person involved.

It has taken me years to reach an understanding about what being an empath entails, and how to best manage the gifts I had been born with.

Empaths are highly sensitive people who often absorb other people’s emotions or experiences as if they were their own. They are extremely sensitive to emotional energy around them, and they often absorb this and experience it as anxiety, depression and fatigue. They are prone to feeling ungrounded and ‘wired’ also.

Is being spiritually sensitive a blessing, or a liability? It often depends upon how you handle your gifts.

THE PROS OF BEING AN EMPATH

• Feeling others’ emotions allows you to ‘put yourself in their place’ and understand their perspective and point of view.
• Empaths often have strong healing abilities.
• They usually have a strong connection with-and love of-animals.
• They love deeply, fiercely, quickly and passionately.
• They can usually tell if a situation or person is ‘off’, or if another person is lying.
• They are prone to mood swings without understanding why.
• They hate injustice of any kind, and will often fight for others who can’t speak up for themselves.
• They are very giving and caring people, and will sacrifice their own needs to help others.
• People naturally confide in them and use them to offload their problems.
• People enjoy being around them. They are great listeners who are always keen to help others with their issues and problems.
• They love nature. It recharges them.
• Empaths are naturally highly intuitive and psychic.

THE CONS OF BEING AN EMPATH

• Without boundaries, empaths absorb other people’s emotions and energies, which can leave them feeling drained or anxious.
• Empaths are like magnets to narcissists and other toxic personality types.
• They worry too much about what others think about them. Empaths are often people pleasers.
• Empaths have difficulty articulating and communicating their own emotions, preferring to focus on others. They often feel that it’s their job to ‘fix’ or ‘rescue’ people.
• Crowds and busy social situations leave empaths feeling tired. Often random emotions surface like anger, panic etc. This is because they are registering and feeling others’ emotions, which can cause feelings of being overwhelmed.
• They put up with negative treatment for far longer than they should, reasoning that the people responsible for it ‘need’ them.
• They are prone to overthinking and looping, negative thoughts.
• They fall in love quickly. Considering how deep and passionate an empath’s love is, this can leave them vulnerable to being used and hurt.
• Setting healthy boundaries is very distressing for empaths-they cannot stand it when others disapprove or get angry with them.
• Negative emotions can make empaths feel physically ill.
• Social media, TV and news can cause empaths to feel pain and sadness.
• Some empaths mirror the physical symptoms and illnesses of others.

WHAT CAN EMPATHS DO TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND FEEL MORE BALANCED?

• Realise that you are an empath and that these traits are normal, albeit inconvenient at times.
• SPEND TIME HEALING YOURSELF. This is probably the most useful information I can give you.
• Instead of masking or ignoring emotions and pain when they come up, FEEL INTO THEM. Allow yourself to acknowledge each feeling, then release it. You can get a lot of insight into your own traumas and triggers in this way.
• Spend time alone daily to recharge.
• Get used to recognising emotions and feelings that do not belong to you, and release them using breathwork or other meditation techniques.
• Create boundaries to protect your energy. This means cutting yourself off from toxic people and situations. For empaths, this is a hugely difficult task as they are acutely aware of-and affected by-the disapproval and anger of others. Toxic people know this, and will use it to further manipulate the empath.
• Firm boundaries are needed with people who use empaths to offload their own negative energies and problems.
• Ground yourself by spending time in nature and with animals.
• Use crystals like obsidian, shungite and tourmaline which have very protective, grounding energies.
• Visualise yourself in a protective bubble which encompasses your entire energy field. This is useful if you have to spend time in large crowds or social situations. Experiment with the materials, colours, shapes and imagery you use for your shield. Some people use a ‘power animal’ as an added protection eg. You could imagine a tiger prowling around your field and roaring at/attacking anything negative encroaching on your space.
• Do not ignore your intuition. If someone or something doesn’t feel right, trust that feeling.
• You can use sage to cleanse your home, your body or your space if you feel it is necessary. This is especially effective after an argument or fight.
• Take a break from TV and social media and unplug if you feel overwhelmed.
• Stop trying to ‘rescue’ and ‘fix’ people. If someone needs help or healing, it is their responsibility to seek it out. Not everyone is ready to do this, and you cannot do it for them.
• Realise that it is ok to say ‘no’ if someone is overstepping your boundaries. You do not have to explain or justify yourself.
• Attend to your own inner work and healing as a matter of priority. This is self care, and without it, you will not be able to share your gifts with others.
• For long term protection of your energy, realise that INTENT and CONFIDENCE are all you need. Fully intend that your Higher Self and your Team in Spirit will filter out lower frequency energies, and believe fully that you are protected, strong and balanced. Ask them for extra support any time you feel you need it.
• OWN YOUR SHADOW SIDE. Without darkness, there cannot be light, and everyone has a dark side that needs to be acknowledged. For example, a while back I was psychically attacked by a person I thought was a good friend, and when I realised what was happening I was gutted. Rather than shielding, I decided to attack back, returning her energy and curses threefold. As a result, she left me alone. Had I taken the ‘love and light’ route, she would probably still be attacking me. I acknowledge that what I did may have been dark, but in this case I felt it was the best way to deal with the situation.

As empaths, we all go through the same things on the path to empowerment. Discovery, wonder, being used and abused, burning out trying to help and fix people, and facing our shadow.

As empowered empaths, we learn to heal ourselves, release negative energy, create and enforce boundaries and own our shadow side.

One of the best kept secrets from an empath is how vastly powerful you are. When you truly discover your power, life opens up in many amazing ways.

Trust yourself, and trust the process!

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