With few exceptions, every single human being is equipped with empathy.
Empathy is simply the ability to feel what another person is experiencing. Author Jeremy Rifkin explained it well when he suggested that empathy is what gives you a creepy feeling when you see a spider crawling on someone else, even though you know the spider isn’t crawling on you.
So nearly all of us experience empathy, but not everyone is an empath. An empath is someone who is more aware than most of the emotions and feelings around them. It’s like a curse and a superpower at the same time.
For many empaths, part of being an empath is not ever really feeling comfortable and at home where they are, no matter where they are.
They often feel like they don’t belong. But there are a few reasons why that is.
1. They take on the emotions of their environment.
Empaths feel the feelings of the people around them. They can even get a sense for emotional events that have taken place in a certain location. Because they’re so quick to feel the emotions of others, they often don’t have a chance to feel their own emotions. It leaves the empath feeling a little bit out of sorts and out of place.
In situations like this, it does an empath good to retreat back into their own comfort zone. Here, they can catch up with themsleves and do some recharging.
2. They get overwhelmed easily.
When you’re able to so easily feel the feelings of the people and places around you, it can certainly get overwhelming. Often times, these emotions are felt as though they’re your own. This feeling of being overwhelmed can sneak up on you too, seemingly coming out of nowhere.
3. They can sniff out lies too easily.
If you were able to pick up on every little white lie you’re told, do you think it would impact the way you feel about being with certain people or in certain places?
Empaths are keenly able to sniff out lies, even the little tiny lies. They can truly sense the truth at an emotional level. Not ones to have the wool pulled over their eyes, this ability to see the truth can leave them feeling out of place and not belonging.
4. They always have an impulse to help.
Empaths are helpful people. It makes sense – they can easily feel the emotions of the people around them. So when someone is in a bad state, empaths want to jump in to help them cope. If that someone feels better, so does the empath! But this is also an exhausting way to live.
When an empath gets to feeling drained, it can seem like the Earth itself is an alien planet that they can’t call home.
5. They are everyone’s rock, but…
Empaths are often the support structure for the people in their lives, but often can’t turn to others for the same thing. It’s not that the people in their lives are callous or don’t care, but empaths are unique people. It is difficult to get on their level and understand how they’re feeling.
Empaths are everyone’s rock, but they tend to have to stand on their own two feet when it comes to their own issues. They may not actually be isolated, but having to constantly take care of yourself can make you feel like you just don’t really belong.
This article is a little bit sad. We don’t want to think of our empath friends as feeling like they don’t belong.
But at the end of the day, empaths are strong people. They can stand on their own two feet. Still, knowing a little more about why empaths don’t feel like they belong can help us help them feel more welcomed wherever they are.
