If you are one of those special people called “empaths,” then you will go through certain things in life that others might not understand.
When you are an empath, you experience things in life a little differently than the rest of the world. You tend to feel the emotions that emanate from other people, and your heightened sensitivity allows you to tune in to the suffering of others as well.
I am an empath too, so I understand the myriad of challenges that highly-sensitive people face on a day-to-day basis. Like me, empaths are prone to feeling overwhelmed by the enormous stress of carrying the emotions of others. Because of this, they are likely to experience things like panic attacks, exhaustion, depression, and many other symptoms that negate any logical explanation.
To someone who doesn’t share the same heightened sensitivity as them, these symptoms might not make sense.
Because empaths experience and feel so much, they must learn to tune some of the chaos out in order to focus on themselves and their lives. Being an empath may have its challenges, but it can also be a truly incredible gift.
These five experiences are things that each and every empath will relate to:
1. Feeling Overly Sensitive
To an empath, it may seem like they are feeling too much. Too much of what someone else is going through, and too much of their pain. Empaths are not too sensitive, they just experience everything to the max because they are more emotionally developed than the average person. This makes them excellent listeners, open-minded friends, and nurturing relationship partners.
2. Making Their Issues Your Own
Like a sponge, an empath will absorb the emotions of those around them. Having a bad day? Well, now the empath is too. As soon as they enter a room, they tend to take on the emotions of those around them. Which is why being in large crowded areas is so taxing for them.
Whatever emotion is floating around, even if you don’t say a word to them, they will pick up on it instantly. Negative emotions can have a drastic effect on an empath, and if they don’t learn how to deal with that kind of baggage it can ruin their day, week, or month.
3. High Levels Of Intuition
Empaths know when something isn’t right, or when they are being lied to. We like to refer to it as a “gut feeling,” but instincts are powerful for empathic people. When they get a warning, they usually always listen to it. Thankfully, empaths tend to surround themselves with those who have a beneficial impact on their lives. Negative thinkers and drama enthusiasts have no place in the life of an empath and although they will do their best to help you, they will walk away when they need to.
4. Alone Time Is A Must
Because empaths feel everything so strongly, and are so sensitive to the world around them, they need time to recharge. Time spent alone is the best way for empaths to find their inner-peace again, so they can get right back to their work as natural healers for the rest of the world. The amount of time can vary, and some might need a day or two while others might only need a couple of hours. Each empath has a unique way of making themselves feel like they are back to normal- for me it was always the beach.
5. Nature, Nature, Nature
We all have a need to escape once in a while, and the empath is no different with that regard. As I mentioned above, nature can have incredible restorative effects. Taking some time to spend at the park, the lake, the beach, or even just walking on the grass barefoot can make the empath feel better. Honestly, it’s something we should all do from time to time. Life can be stressful, and some things can be easier if we give ourselves the proper time in nature.
Not everyone will relate to these experiences, and that’s okay. We all go through life in our own ways. If you do happen to recognize these situations in yourself and your life, pay attention to how you feel around other people. Protect your boundaries and create a safe space for yourself when you need it.
