When I didn’t know I was an Empath, I couldn’t understand why I felt all that I did. I know there must be hundreds of thousands of people struggling with the same ‘condition’, unaware that the bewildering, emotional ups and downs, they deal with on a daily basis, are not always their own feelings. They are picking up other people’s pain.

And I want to help with this. I want to help others understand that it is completely possible to feel another’s pain, even a stranger’s, as if their own.

If you don’t already know, an Empath is someone who is hyper-sensitive to many things, but mainly to the emotions of others. They can pick up the feelings of another and take them on.

An Empath can be perfectly happy and relaxed one minute, then enter a public place and within seconds feel anger, sadness or anxiety… emotions that are coming from others. If unaware they are Empathic, they may believe the cause of these feelings is a phobia of public places, a dislike of shopping, or even people.

Many Empaths become reclusive because it’s easier to stay away from the external stimuli than to deal with the bombardment of negative emotions they feel when in public.

Being an Empath is not something I tend to share openly with others. In the past I tried telling close friends about who I was or what I felt,  but I just ended up feeling frustrated with their inability to grasp the concept. But that doesn’t mean I cannot share what I experience on here. Those who need the information will hopefully stumble across it.

When someone has not experienced something first-hand, it is difficult for them to understand it. And, as Empaths are not generally subject to discussion in common society, we may be seen as being a bit bonkers when we talk about what we feel, as opposed to having a very valid ability. This can make Empath life somewhat isolating.

Another reason I don’t tend to tell others of my abilities is because I don’t want them feeling uncomfortable around me. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to know that I know when what they’re saying is not what they are truly feeling or thinking. So, sometimes staying quiet is the best option.

Everyone who is an Empath has different empathic abilities. The two most common being: Picking up on others’ emotions and feeling the energy of places. For example: you may walk into a crowded room and sense a heavy tension, even though everyone looked happy (this is experiencing collective emotion). Or when entering a friend’s new house, which was old, but new to them, you feel a negative vibe, as if something bad has happened there (This is often residual energy. If the house was filled with arguments and angst the energy stays there. Likewise, when walking into a house that has been filled with happiness and love, to an Empath it can feel like the Sun is shining indoors).

Another unusual place Empaths experience weird feelings is on social media: I once fell into the trap of being a Facebook addict. It took me a while to understand why I always came away from a browsing session feeling flat, especially after reading posts by a people declaring their happiness and fabulous lifestyles. Then I saw it, it was the inauthenticity affecting me. As Empaths we feel fakery. When someone is stating how wonderful life is, when it’s quite the opposite, we feel that as an inauthentic vibe. Spend too long on social media outlets and it often becomes overwhelming.

The more in tune we become as Empaths the more we see the world for what it is. Reading newspapers becomes a challenge, especially the ones packed with lies, gossip and no real news. The TV can become unbearable, in particular any kind of programmes with violence or cruelty. Even watching reality-singing-shows are heart-wrenching. Seeing the judges quash the dreams of young hopefuls (whose main ambition in life is to feel special) and humiliate them, in the name of entertainment, is hideous.

There are many other ways in which Empaths find everyday life a challenge, which I intend to write more about in future posts. But if you are not sure if you could be classed as an Empath, here’s a list of 30 traits that can help you decide.

So if you’d like to find out more about being an Empath click the follow button on the sidebar.

Until next time…

©Diane Kathrine