One thing we all know, as Empaths, is that we feel other people’s emotions.
Which isn’t always a bad thing, when they aren’t affecting us in a negative way.
However, the problem arises when we start absorbing the emotions, belonging to others, and taking them on as our own.
Regularly absorbing other peoples’ emotions can affect our health and happiness in so many different ways. Often leading to issues such as emotional toxicity.
When we absorb other people’s emotions it can affect not only the way we feel, but also the way we think. It impacts our adrenals, which are the stress glands. This then has a knock-on effect on the other endocrine glands, which are the glands that produce our hormones. This in turn can lead to hormone imbalances.
Everything in the body is connected, and so are our endocrine glands. When one hormone goes out of balance, it can affect another gland and the hormones it produces. So, what starts off as absorbing another’s emotions, and thus taking on their stress, can eventually lead to thyroid issues, chronic fatigue, food intolerances, and so much more.
I often describe the aftereffect of Empaths absorbing negative emotions as like having an allergy or food intolerance. Just like an allergen might give you a physical reaction, when you come into contact with it, you can get a physical reaction from the emotions you absorb. Continue reading →
As you know, here on my blog, I like to write articles about how to make life easier for an Empath, and how to combat the emotions they often have to deal with.
One of those ways is by sipping a lovely cup of healing char.
Teas that calm your soul and soothe your emotions have so many benefits for an Empath.
Because, let’s face it, one problem that comes with Empath life is having heightened or erratic emotions. (Especially after what we’ve all been through these past two years.)
Heightened emotions can lead to all sorts of health issues, especially of the adrenal glands (endocrine glands that produce the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol).
When the adrenals get overactivated, by too much stress, it can cause a whole host of mental and physical problems, as well as autoimmune conditions…
Increased cortisol can also lead to weight gain (hello pot belly), without you having to overeat. Which is made all the worse worse if you drink coffee with caffeine.
So, anything we can do to help soothe our emotions, naturally, is a big bonus for all-round wellbeing (and for our waistline). And this is where herbal teas come in…
Nature gave us many of the things we need to heal, or find calm in life, in the way of herbs and spices. Too often, when on the hunt for a ‘quick-fix’, we overlook these powerful healers.
I have written before about why people might take a dislike to an Empath, for no apparent reason, but I have never discussed why an Empath may take a disliking to others with no outward clues as to why.
Empaths tend to be considerate and understanding, and probably won’t like to admit that they don’t like certain people. But, just like with anyone else, resentments can form towards others.
Generally, if an Empath takes a dislike to you, it will be more because of the way you make them feel. They pick up things that you try and hide, and they will observe everything you don’t say in words. Your energy speaks louder than words.
Unfortunately, most people manage to invoke an emotional response within the Empath at some point, without saying or doing anything, and it is often the kindest of people who carry the most pain.
Occasionally feeling another’s emotions is nothing compared to what certain people can activate within an Empath, and this is what most often causes a dislike to happen. But that is not always the case…
So, here’s the top five reasons an Empath might dislike you:
1. You Have Narcissistic Traits
The definition of a narcissist is: a psychological condition characterised by self-preoccupation, high self-esteem, a distinct lack of empathy, excessive self-admiration and a tendency towards selfish or resentful behaviours.
There are several other traits that also fit the bill of narcissism such as: one-sidedness, a manipulative nature, unrealistic expectations of others, excess need for control, and a huge sympathy deficiency.
Empaths tend to have very low tolerance for narcissists, and their ways, especially if they ever had a bad run-in with one. So, even if you carry a few of the above traits, you may find an Empath will take an instant dislike to you.
2. Your Vibes don’t Match Your Words
When in the company of those whose words don’t match their vibration, the Empath’s brain tends to scramble. So much so, they may struggle to form a coherent sentence. This mind-numbing effect is caused by their ‘Empathic antenna’ sensing all is not what it seems. It is detecting this person is not showing a true reflection of who they are.
When an Empath comes across fake people, or those who are hiding their true personality, it is common for them to close down. A barrier comes up and there’s no getting past it. Anyone who is not giving truthful vibes will put an Empath on high alert. This impact can also ignite an instant dislike to form, and they may avoid being in your presence.
3. You Wallow in Negativity
An Empath, who both lifts and experiences the dark emotions or intentions of others, are worst affected than most by being around negative people.
Many Empaths come to realize that when they spend time around downbeat individuals, they feel cloudy, lethargic, and low. Too often, the Empath ends up wearing the energy of these people for days after exposure.
Also, those who tend to wallow in negativity can act as ‘energy vampires.’ Their gloomy manner drains an Empath’s vitality even after a short time spent in their presence. This drain can leave them overwhelmed with dark emotions and pessimism. For this reason, many Empaths find a dislike develops for those who are overly negative.
4. You Constantly Criticize Others
Most Empaths abhor being in the presence of people who are constantly critical of others. Those who appear to thrive on seeking out flaws and faults in people are ‘venomous’ to an Empath. It’s as though the criticizers are not happy unless they are finding failings in someone else’s life. Either in their appearance, status or achievements.
Being highly empathetic to another’s suffering, an Empath will always look out for the underdog. Anyone who’s being bullied or treated unfairly draws their compassion. Likewise, anyone who is ‘stealing the light’ from others, in order to feed their own, will gain an Empaths disapproval.
5. You Act as a Trauma Trigger
When someone acts as a trauma trigger to an Empath, it does not mean they are bad people. It can simply mean they carry a lot of buried pain within.
A trauma trigger is a memory from the past that triggers a reaction, such as anxiety or fear, in the present. Because an Empath has a highly reactive amygdala, they are adversely impacted when around those who act as a trauma trigger.
The amygdala is a reacting part of the brain which activates when exposed to stimuli, such as fear or other strong emotions, and stimulates the stress hormones. (Read more here.)
Simply being in the presence of someone suffering emotionally is enough to ignite an amygdala reaction, in an Empath, whether the other person shows their emotions or not. This reaction can mean they overproduce adrenalin and cortisol. Both of which stimulate fearful or pained emotions.
In these cases, an Empath may not know why they don’t like you, they just know they don’t want to be in your company.
♥♥♥
So, there you go. If as an Empath you are reading this as a way to understand why you don’t like certain people, then hopefully this will have given some insight. If, however, you have been spurned by an Empath, and don’t know why, hopefully it will have done the same for you.
It has to be an accepted truth that we all have people who don’t like us, for whatever reason, we are not meant for everyone. And that’s ok.
Surrender can have different meanings to different people.
To some, surrender is seen as a passage into freedom, a way to stop the struggle and let go. To others, it is a weakness, a way of giving up.
Because surrender has been painted as a failing in society, it has never really been encouraged. It is thought by surrender we lose power. When in fact, it takes us into power.
Those who avoid surrender tend to be fighting with themselves or with others. If only in their ‘fight to be right.’
When there’s a fight, someone always gets hurt. And when there are casualties, no one is a winner.
To me, surrendering means to allow for change. Surrender fear, beliefs and old ways of being. This also means the beliefs we hold about the way we look, think and feel.
Surrender to Life
This isn’t about being a doormat for others to trample over. Nor is it about not standing for what is right. To surrender is to simply let go of the old ways of being or that which no longer serves, and the fear that kept us enslaved.
Humans are led by emotion and fear. For a long time, society has manipulated our emotions by giving us reasons to fight or reasons to be angry and afraid. Manufactured forms of distraction that kept us in servitude of a control system.
These distractions, and ways to keep people divided and in fear, are now getting louder because we are moving in to a new era where people are waking up.
The Precipice
As a species, we don’t like giving things up: habits, ways of being and beliefs. Even when these habits are known to be bad or wrong. We often have to go through a crisis before we will change or surrender. This is what we are now experiencing.
We have reached the precipice. Change is the only way off the mountain.
We are in times of great change. There are many layers to unpeel. One of such is surrendering the old thoughts and beliefs that kept us controlled.
When we do not have freedom of thought, we can’t tune into our higher mind. We then become little more than computers running software programmes. Freethinking should be a basic human right, yet it has been systematically removed by society.
I was talking to a friend the other week. We were discussing the current world crisis. My ideas in no way matched hers (as is often the case with my friends). After listening to my opinions and outlook, my friend told me she didn’t know how to think independently or question things. She needed to be fed information. In other words, she needed to be told what to think and believe.
This is the case with many people. Because ideas, opinions and thoughts are obtained from one place and not from observing various sources of data, the ability to question anything or formulate an original idea is stifled.
The fact my friend could see her opinions were influenced by mainstream, and weren’t really her own, shows she is in the process of ‘waking up.’
All our lives we have been fed information. How to dress. How to think. What to hate or love. Society has not encouraged us to think independently, only how to think as a majority.
There is a famous quote, by Henrick Ibsen: ‘The majority is always wrong, and the minority is rarely right.’
It reminds me of how little we really know. This world has been built on lies and illusions. Layer upon layer.
Until we can allow for independence of thought, by tuning into our higher-selves, we will continue to labour under false illusions.
When we regurgitate what we have seen on the news and in the papers, we might think ‘we are in the know.’ But it is little more than intentional programming. Hidden under the veil of an ‘educated opinion.’
Freethinking is Freedom
We have got more chance of getting to the truth by surrendering to the voice of our higher-self than we have from listening to mainstream narratives.
Inside we hold the answers to the universe, but we have not been shown how to gain access. We are taught to trust only the narrative of authority, and not the truth within.
The simple way to break free is to surrender the need to be part of the collective mind.
Have trust in the one. Trust in ourselves.
What it means to surrender is to let go of everything we thought we knew, let go of programmes and thoughts that have been implanted. Believe in our own power to create the world we want to live in.
Instead of fight for what we think is right. Surrender to what we feel is right. Lead with love and surrender the fear.
SURRENDER! CREATE! BE!
As a side note: if you are feeling particularly strong negative emotion around your solar plexus, know that it is very likely a pooling of the mass hysteria being stoked up, mixed in with your own apprehensions. A quick way to block it is to simply place your hand over the space you feel the emotions.This post also has ways to deal with the overwhelm of fear that many Empaths are currently experiencing.
Stay tuned for my next post which is about how judgement has controlled us.
Have you found yourself suffering more with angry emotional reactions lately than what is usual? Have you ever wondered why?
Following on from my last post about the shadow side, today I want to discuss another way in which the shadow may be experienced: through anger.
The reason this is an important issue to address is because anger is especially damaging to the body. Anger stresses the adrenals, causes stomach problems, and weakens the heart area. in fact, just one minute of anger can suppress the immune system for five hours.
In current times it seems anger is being purposely stimulated amongst the masses, which is not good for the Empaths.
All around the world we see people getting angry or hateful over ‘local or global affairs.’ There is so much fury being projected on to issues presented online that it makes you question: are people really so angry with these issues or is it something else? Something deeper that has been suppressed that is trying to draw their attention?
An Empath will always be affected by the anger in others; but they also have their own to deal with. However, because they know the damage anger can do, when projected on to others, it is often suppressed. Which rarely leads to anything good.
You’re Never Angry About What You Think You’re Angry About!
The above statement is so true. We are rarely infuriated by what we think. We are simply projecting our pain when triggered.
When we project our pain on to external factors, instead of looking inwards to find and fix what needs fixing, we don’t uncover the real roots of our anger.
How Do We Uncover What is Really Making Us Angry?
An unhealed Empath, who has spent years stuffing down emotions, can find offence in pretty much everything. In these times, however, everything is rising to the surface. As noted many times in other posts, imbalances in hormones, due to the diet and environmental factors, plays a huge part in emotional reactions (read more here), but they mostly have to do with our past.
Going Backwards to go Forwards
In life we often have to go backwards to go forwards. What I mean by this is we have to visit the origins of the wounds from our past before we can move away from them.
If, for example, anger is triggered in the present by someone expressing their beliefs, the question has to be asked: Why are their opinions striking a chord?
Could it be related to a buried memory from childhood? Maybe a memory of being told you were wrong? Or perhaps being told you were not good enough? Perhaps regularly? Or it could be that you just want to express yourself without someone jumping in to say that your opinions are unfounded, or liken your ideas to a conspiracy theory (yes, that has happened to me before).
Anger projected into the present is likely to have originated from a past issue, often made much worse by hormone imbalances (read more here ), but it will usually be disguised as anger towards something else.
The ego is often blamed for certain ‘toxic feelings.’ And yes, the ego likes to dominate, it likes to be right and is also easily bruised. But an inflated ego is not always the precursor to anger within an Empath, it is more likely to be the wounds of the shadow.
The shadow holds the unresolved issues, emotional pain and insecurities that affect our behaviour and outlook on life. It also likes to trigger anger. That said, sometimes experiencing dark emotions is not always a bad thing.
Can Positive Situations Come from Anger?
There are times when anger and rage can propel us to make changes in life, pushing us onwards and upwards. It can also help us address that which needs addressing. However, when it is anger outbursts or silent anger, that quietly lingers in the shadows without serving any purpose except stress, then it is a problem!
Do we really want to punish our self for someone else’s opinion or mistake? Because that’s what we do when we host or suppress the emotion of anger.
People will always disagree. It doesn’t mean one is right and the other is wrong. There is just a difference of opinion. We do not need to convince anyone of anything. If someone is not ready to hear our opinion it is not our job to force it upon them. In fact, some people will never hear what we have to say, no matter how much truth is in our words, and that’s ok.
So, how do we tackle the anger or uncomfortable feelings that arise?
Firstly, do not suppress anger. But also, don’t take it out on others.
Many years ago, I read Louise Hay’s recommendation of using a pillow to release anger. Simply take a nice fluffy pillow and, when no one is around, beat it up. It does help.
Secondly, get familiar with the triggers:
To find out where your anger stems from, question yourself. Who are you really angry with? When you ask this question, a picture of someone will quickly come to mind often alongside an uncomfortable memory or feeling.
Do you really want that person or persons to continue to hurt you today? If the answer is no, it’s time to stop or release the anger reaction. Breathe through it or just pause and allow it to pass.
As I said, anger is hugely detrimental to health, as is any of the other stressed/pained emotions.
I realize that switching off emotions is a lot harder than just turning off a light switch. There are several other factors we have to consider. For example, have we become addicted to the hormones these emotions produce (read this post to uncover if you have a negativity addiction)? or are we unable to let go of the pain because it has become part of our identity? But understanding the cause helps in reducing the reactions.
The long-term goal is to stop feeding the shadow when it ignites an anger response. But recognizing that it is the shadow at work is halfway to making this realization.
Healing
When healed, we come to understand that what others say, think or do is more a reflection of them and not us. But until we get to this place, using grounding techniques, such as those I discuss here, will help reduce anger or prevent other emotional reactions, and a nice fluffy pillow (for pounding out the emotions) is always there for those darker days.
These journeys, we are each experiencing, have been designed especially for us. The beliefs we have and the problems we face are ours to overcome. The same can be said for everyone out there. By allowing others to have their own opinion, by walking away from fights that will never be resolved, or from the people who take pleasure in putting others down, it is not only liberating but also healing. And addressing the truth behind anger goes a long way towards its release.
Do you know one of the worst things for your Empath health…?
Stress!
Most Empaths know when they are experiencing stress, but they may have no idea how much of this stress is held within their muscles. Which, over time, becomes incredibly problematic to the way you show up in the world.
Our muscles are constantly stimulated through the stresses of modern life, and that’s not to mention the impact of ‘people stress.’ Because of this, even in sleep, the muscles don’t fully relax… Which, as you can probably imagine, is not good for Empath health!
Even when we think we are relaxing, we often aren’t. The TV programs we watch in the evening can have the effect of firing up the mind, which stimulates the muscles, further tensing them, and even reading certain books can put the nerves (and muscles) on edge.
Pained emotions, either your own or those you pick up throughout the day from others, are also stored within the muscles.
Whilst reading this you will be holding tension somewhere in your body. Your forehead might be rouched, your eyes might be squinting, your shoulders might be hunched or your wrists extended back, your legs, hips or back might be in an awkward position, all creating pressure in your muscles and joints.
We could go through the entire body, but I think it’s safe to say you are holding muscle tension somewhere.
So Why is This Such a Bad Thing?
When your muscles are constantly contracted, they are fuelling the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Not only is this depleting the body of vital energy, that most can ill-afford to lose, but it is also prematurely ageing, it raises blood pressure, lowers the immune system and unnecessarily heightens Empath stress.
What To Do About It
By training the muscles to soften and loosen, through relaxation, it switches on the parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn, slows the breathing, lowers blood pressure, initiates deep relaxation of body and mind, and allows healing to occur.
One of the best and easiest ways to get a muscle to relax is to tense it first.
If you’ve ever been in a yoga class and the teacher asked you to tense all the muscles in your body before relaxation, it was to aid in releasing any held tension and to allow you to relax more deeply. Here are just some of the benefits:
Relaxation Benefits
Reduces fatigue
Anti-ageing
Lowers blood pressure
Boosts the immune system
Induces restful sleep
Allows for muscle regeneration
Switches on the parasympathetic nervous system
Promotes mind stillness
Aides in general well-being.
It is said that the relaxation, at the end of a yoga class, is the most beneficial part of the practice. Not only is it time for the body to rest, but it’s the time the benefits of yoga practise are fully integrated.
Relaxation can be done at anytime of day but it is great to do at bedtime or after exercise.
Here’s an Easy Muscle-Tensing Technique:
Lie on the floor or a bed (for anyone suffering back problems: a bolster or cushion under the knees is helpful).
Starting at the feet, tense them for five to ten seconds then release.
Work up through the limbs, torso and face, tensing and relaxing each body part in turn (great distraction for the mind if you can’t sleep).
Finally, clench the body tight for five to tense seconds, then completely relax and go floppy.
Stay for a while in this deep state of stillness.
If time is short, you could tense the lower part of the body first, then the upper half, finishing on the face.
Not only does the above exercise promote relaxation but it also aids in stilling the mind.
If, as an Empath, you suffer any kind of stress conditions or chronic fatigue, doing full-body muscle tensing and relaxation is a great help to your overall well-being.
So, now you have no excuse not to spend more time relaxing. Give yourself permission to switch off and chill those muscles. It is super-beneficial for a happy, healthy life.…
As it’s new year and we all have intentions of becoming healthier and happier, I’ve decided to do a fantastic offer on Kindle Countdown for all you lovely Empaths. For 2 days you can get the Empath Eating plan for $1.26. Yes, that’s right, only $1.26. The price will gradually increase until it goes back to full list price on 16th January 2019.
You can click here to have a quick read through of the first part of the book, to see if the information is for you. Remember it’s only for 2 days that the price will be so low.Continue reading →
Do you know how to unplug from the energy of others?
Would you like to find out how?
This is a very important subject for an Empath, because if we don’t unplug from the energy we pick up from others, then the energy of others will control our life.
Empaths have to work hard to stay grounded, balanced and in control of emotions. And if we want to stay ‘on top’ we have to learn to switch off from the energy of the masses.
I think you’ll agree; these past years have gone from one level of trauma to another. The energies have switched from stress to anger to hate to fear to more stress.
It’s obvious the populace is being distracted and divided with the intention of keeping us from finding our true-inner-power.
What I mean by this is, we are in a unique time where past issues are coming up to the surface to be resolved and healed for everyone. Not only in the way of karmic return but in calls to find balance of the body and mind (modern life puts a huge strain on our human bodies).
When past trauma is ready to be healed it shows up in many ways: feeling constantly dissatisfied, suffering illness, anxiety, fear, anger and other strong emotions. There are many other ways in which people receive their inner-calls to make changes and go within.
Instead of being able to address old wounds and or physical issues, as they arise, people are being given reasons to project their emotional pain on to others. Which many Empaths pick up, even if they are not in direct firing line.
When we are kept angry or distressed, by focusing on the world’s injustices or propaganda, it not only keeps us trapped in a negative mind-set but it stops us from taking the steps to face and heal any physical or emotional wounds that need attention. We then continuously draw back more reasons to feel emotionally low.
For those Empaths who have already done much inner-work, it sometimes feels like we are being taken back several steps. It doesn’t help that feeling the emotional energy of the world, when it is so negatively charged, can be incredibly isolating.
We not only need to keep swapping and changing our healing/grounding techniques to stay protected, we need to stay ‘unplugged’ from this energy.
Consciously Unplug
This is so important, even if it’s just for five minutes a day.
By consciously unplugging from all external distractions, it not only allows for a vibrational reset, it shifts our focus. Which helps us break the connection to the emotional energy of others, and allows us to tune into our higher-self.
By simply closing your eyes and focusing on your breath or doing some type of meditative practice, it works well to unplug.
One technique I like to use is the ‘balancing triangle breath’.
This may sound strange, but in my mind’s eye I draw a triangle with my breath between my nose and third eye.
If you want to try it: Inhale through your left nostril (you can block the opposite nostril with thumb), taking the breath up to the third eye (centre of forehead), then on the exhale see your breath travel from the third eye down the right nostril and then back over to the left nostril. After a few breaths reverse the flow from right to left, and then keep alternating.
The image may help you get a better idea of what I mean (I apologize for the creepy face).
The above technique not only helps you unplug and re-centre, it also helps balance your masculine and feminine energy (learn more here).
Take a Salted-Magnesium-Essential-Oil Bath:
A salt bath with added magnesium and lavender is an incredible combination for instilling calm and balance. It’s also super soothing to your emotions and helps you unplug from the world.
Salt is great for clearing all types of people energy, especially when it is negative. It also heals and softens the skin.
Magnesium helps one relax, and boosts energy, supports the endocrine system and aids sleep (quality sleep is essential for repairs). You can buy magnesium bath salts in most supermarkets.
An essential oil, such as lavender, is both relaxing and uplifting and is great to use after being peopled.
This is something I probably don’t need to remind you of, but I also know how hard it is to do. If there’s one thing that can suck dry your last remnants of goodwill, it is being around negative people or ‘energy vampires’
Did you know, science has acknowledged that by just spending too much time around negative people it can influence your health and happiness?
There are many studies showing how prolonged ‘people stress’ can alter gene expression within the immune system… Meaning: anyone can become sick just by hanging out with negative people. For an Empath, however, who can wear another person’s emotional energy like a heavy winter coat, it tends to have a double impact!
So, if you find you are affected by being around negative people, the above are some simple but effective ways to unplug from their energy.
If you have any other techniques that work for you, feel free to share in the comments below
I would never normally share two posts within one week, but when I came across this article, I got quite excited and wanted to share it with you.
Empath traits are seldom talked about by anyone other than Empaths. So, to find an article that was published in the MailOnline about the subject made me giddy as a Kipper.
There is no escaping this simple fact of life, the majority of Empaths are easily hurt by the criticisms and judgements of others. In some cases, so much so, that it may prevent them from taking any creative risks in life.
The fear of criticism holds too many good Empath’s back.
But as the old saying goes:
‘The only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing’.
And I doubt there are many Empaths who want to go through life doing nothing. Continue reading →
Today, I want to address the subject of power imbalances within an Empath and the need to control what we feel.
As Empaths, many of our emotional sensations are amplified. We react to criticism much more than most and, when out of balance, we become incredibly oversensitive to everyday life situations.
Because of this, we may suffer with depression and are more open to attract depressive moods from others (like attracts like).
The fact that so few people have control over their lives makes for a lot of unhappy people. Empaths pick up on the collective sense of dissatisfaction, whether they are aware of it or not, which can greatly affect their own moods. This can then trap them in negative thinking patterns.
As Empaths, we get down when it seems like we have no control of the way we feel. Which is understandable. Getting bombarded with the emotional energy of others (on top of our own emotions) is no fun, and it can certainly influence the way we operate.
What we pick up from others can shape our life, especially when we are not aware the emotional energy we are experiencing does not belong to us. (If you struggle with defining the emotional energy of others read this.)
But other people’s energy is not the only thing that can lead to emotional instability and a sense of power imbalance. Continue reading →
Too many Empaths go through life feeling like they don’t belong. It’s as though they have been dumped in a reality that is not a fit for them… So why is that?
Even before we discover who we are, as Empaths, we can feel like a giant square peg trying to squeeze into a tiny hole.
We look around at those who glide through life, following the rules laid down by society, who appear contented with the way the system operates and who slot in with others effortlessly. Even if they are unhappy, they never seem to question anything, nor find fault with ‘the way things work’. We may wonder why is it so easy for them to ‘fit in’ but not for us?
There are several reasons for this ‘sense of not belonging’ the Empath has; one of which being the way we ‘feel’. Continue reading →
If you are one of the many Empaths who feel unable to make real connections with people, or with life itself, know that you are not alone and that there is a reason for it.
We don’t always realize, but life is a series of linked events; each one leading to the next, like the spots on a dot-to-dot puzzle. Yet, most are unaware that the seemingly random occurrences of life and a feeling of ‘disconnect’ are in any way pivotal to the course of our destiny…
Because the mind is kept so busy trying to make sense of life’s conundrums, we are often kept from connecting the dots on our unique and mysterious life puzzle. Our Empath sensitivities may also prevent us from seeing how amazing our lives are, or how this sense of ‘disconnectedness’ serves us.
The majority of us work hard trying to figure out life. We may wonder where our true purpose lies or we may constantly find ourselves looking at ways to better fit in with others. It may even feel like we are not on the ‘right path’.
Why do so many Empaths feel disconnected?
It may certainly seem that the Empath is destined to go through life feeling off-course, unfulfilled, overwhelmed, or unable to connect. There are many things that come with being an Empath that makes them push people away: getting hurt easily, feeling others’ emotional pain, and being a beacon for other people’s problems being but a few. This in itself can lead to feelings of being disconnected.
It is easy to forget that we came here for a reason: to experience life as an Empath, and the many challenges that go with it, because we get distracted by the obstacles we face.
Empath life is often strenuous, painful, overly emotional, sometimes lonely and often comes with a huge sense of disconnect from others. Which is ironic considering we feel the energy of people so powerfully. But, when we allow ourselves to see it, Empath life is also enlightening, invigorating, electrically charged and a true gift.
Empaths can boast of life experiences few can expect to have. We feel things others don’t and we have a strong sense of intuition that will take us to all the right places, if we believe in it and follow its guidance.
Sometimes, we purposely make life more difficult for ourselves, without realizing. And sometimes we allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity or we get stuck in victim mentality. We may also subconsciously choose to ignore what we need to do to keep us safe and sane on our journey. But the keys to our happiness and ‘reconnection’ are always there for us to find, when we are ready.
So, to get to the reason for not feeling connected to others: Being disconnected keeps us moving forward, looking for ways to better ourself or find the answers. If we were to feel extremely contented and comfortable in life, we would not look for ways to become empowered.
As an Empath, it is easy to see dark or challenging times as punishments, but when we come through the other side we always find an incredible gift inside the experience.
The experiences we have, really are unique, and every difficulty we have endured and overcome has catapulted us forward, shaping the course of our life.
When we connect the dots of our past, we see a bigger picture emerge. Everything happens for a reason. Even feeling disconnected shapes and changes us, pushing us towards evolvement.
Listen to your soul, tune into your intuition and don’t be afraid to make the changes you know that will reconnect you to your truth, purpose and happiness, and in turn others.
There is much debate within the Empath world as to whether meat should be consumed. Many Empaths find themselves naturally drawn to vegetarianism, even from a young age. Some even become strict vegans, others may eat only chicken or fish.
However, as each Empath is affected differently by their consumption of meat, chicken and fish it is a choice they have to make for themselves as to whether they consume.
The majority of Empaths will question their meat intake at some point on their journey, even if they like the taste. And this often comes down to their love and respect for nature and the animal kingdom, as well as the fact that consuming animals can feel wrong.
It has to be said, we live in a barbaric world where animals eat animals, fish eat fish, and insects eat insects to survive… and yes, humans eat animals (and, in some rare cases, other humans). But these days more people, and not just the Sensitive, are choosing to stop eating meat because of the way animals are treated.
It is not just because of their love of animals that turns an Empath away from eating meat, whether they realize this or not, it’s often because they feel the energy of an animal when they eat its flesh.
Some are so Sensitive that they can even feel the energy of an egg and will avoid eating them too.
If an animal suffered or felt much fear before being slaughtered, it can cause depression and low emotions in the Empath who consumes its meat. The bigger the animal the more this energy is felt.
These emotions are normally experienced soon after consumption, within minutes or hours. One may feel weepy, sorrowful, irritation or experience waves of anger. You may even find yourself more ‘touchy’ to the energy of your surroundings.
That said, some are little affected. It really depends on one’s level of Sensitivity and the type of animal produce. For example: some Empaths may eat chicken or fish and feel no ill-effects, but if they eat meat, derived from a cow or pig, it greatly affects their moods.
It is probably safe to say should you develop low emotions soon after eating meat, avoidance may be the best option for you.
I eat chicken and fish, and very little meat. I would prefer to be vegetarian, and for some time I was, but it didn’t suit my health. I have an autoimmune disorder and a leaky gut, which I can control through my diet. I find most vegetarian proteins cause a negative bodily reaction (Click here to learn about Empaths reacting to vegan food). And because of the environment I live in, I tend to stay overly responsive.
Leaky gut and autoimmune disease are conditions common among Sensitive people. After experiencing a lifetime’s worth of heightened emotions and sensitivities, the gut, which is the area of the seat of emotions, weakens. Because of the amount of chemicals in our atmosphere and diet, and the foods that have been genetically altered, we become vulnerable to developing physical and energetic weaknesses.
[In brief, if you suffer with a leaky gut, the lectins in many vegetarian foods trigger a reaction that allows food particles, that should stay inside the gut, to leak out into the body. This causes an immune response. When this happens regularly it eventually leads to an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the organs and glands. For the Empath, this opens another can of worms, igniting unbalanced chakras and a permeable aura.]
Should you choose to eat meat, fish, chicken or even dairy products, you are best eating the finest quality organic pasture-raised produce. Not only because the animals will have been better looked after but because of the amount of chemicals pumped into most livestock.
Over 80% of all produced antibiotics are given to livestock. And up to 20 different medications and vast quantities of hormones could be present in non-organic meat and dairy. The antibiotics and hormones found within animal produce are causing people many health problems. They are known to be endocrine disruptors. And anything which is an endocrine disruptor upsets the balance of hormones within the body. This in turn disrupts the health of the chakras and weakens the auric field (meaning you pick up more energy from others).
So, as already noted, should you choose to eat animal produce it is probably best to consume the finest quality.
There is no denying it, ‘people stress’ exists. Every one of us has experienced it. And I have no doubt we will have caused people stress to others at some point.
But there are some who seem to enjoy living under a dark cloud and make an occupation out of unpleasantness; they talk malevolently of people, places and pastimes and suck the joy out of life… These are the negative people of the world
Science has acknowledged that just by spending too much time around those who are constantly disapproving or miserable, has an undesirable influence on one’s health and happiness.
There are many studies showing how prolonged ‘people stress’ alters gene expression within the immune system… Meaning: we become sick just by hanging out with angry, gloomy or demoralizing people.
Some doctors now even recommend their patients avoid spending time with those who cause them emotional stress; for the fact they could exacerbate health conditions.
It may seem unkind to suggest avoiding negative people, but here are 9 reasons why you should:
1, Low Moods are Triggered by Emotional Contagion:
Emotional contagion is the phenomenon of having one person’s emotions and linked behaviours trigger similar emotions in others. Meaning: Negativity is contagious.
You can experience other people’s low moods just by spending time with them.
2, You Become a Magnet for Negativity:
Ever wondered why after spending time around negative people you draw more negative situations towards you?
Like attracts like.
When you unintentionally harvest other people’s negativity, through emotional contagion, it often becomes your own. Through the law of attraction, you then attract more.
Negativity breeds negativity!
3, You Experience an Energy Drain:
You may have noticed that when you spend time around negative people you feel cloudy, flat and lethargic.
Many negative people are also energy vampires. Their negativity sucks the energy from you, even after a short time spent in their presence. This drain can leave you feeling low, uninspired and weary.
4, Negative People Contribute to Inflammation:
Stress causes inflammation in the body.
Chronic inflammation has been linked to autoimmune disorders, depression, heart disease and even cancer.
By keeping negative people in your life, who cause you stress, you are causing your body more damage than you know.
5, The Adrenal Glands Weaken:
Although every organ is affected by people stress, the adrenals are one of the first to be impacted.
The adrenals are part of the endocrine system and are responsible for releasing the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
When the adrenals are functioning properly, cortisol is anti-inflammatory, otherwise it has the opposite effect.
By spending time around negative people it causes excessive stress which activates the fight-or-flight system. This system is supposed to keep you safe from harm, giving you the energy to run away or stay and do battle… but there is no danger just people stress. This happening repeatedly not only weakens the adrenals but inhibits the proper release of cortisol and impairs health.
6, Weight Gain:
If you are Sensitive and spend a lot of time around stress-inducing people, your adrenals become impaired, which, as mentioned above, plays havoc with cortisol production and can lead to weight gain.
As well as being known as the stress hormone, cortisol is also called the fat storing hormone.
The weight gain, caused by excess cortisol production, is often seen around the stomach – and a reason many Empaths have a squidgy, pot belly. This fat is difficult to eliminate because it is not caused by eating too much food, so reducing food intake has little effect.
7, Imbalanced or Blocked Chakras
Chakras are also known as energy centres.
The chakras are directly linked to your endocrine glands (glands that release hormones into the body), and people stress is known to impair the endocrine glands.
When any endocrine gland weakens (adrenals for example), it has a knock-on-effect and leads to unbalanced chakras.
Blocked or unbalanced chakras cause many health problems and can also lead to leaky aura syndrome (a problem many Empaths struggle with).
8, Weakened Energy Field:
Also known as the aura or pranic sheath, your energy field emanates around you like a luminous egg-shaped sheath.
The energy field has been defined as a haze or ‘metamolecular space’ that surrounds every living thing.
A healthy energy field keeps good energy in and bad energy out. A weak energy field, however, is porous and leaky, also known as leaky aura syndrome, and allows in too much energy from others.
If you become overly stressed or anxious, when around negative people, you are more at risk of developing a permeable aura. This can cause many unnecessary difficulties in life.
A weakened aura is bad news on many levels for the Empath (see this post to learn more) and by staying away from negative people it will help keep your energy field healthy.
9, Unhappiness and Depression:
It is difficult to stay upbeat when around anyone who drags you down emotionally.
Sensitive people are prone to low moods and depression, and for this – and all the above reasons – the best way to stay happy is by avoiding nasty or unpleasant people.
If you experience guilt at the prospect of avoiding certain negative people, remind yourself you are looking after your health and wellbeing…
You deserve to be happy and healthy!
Remedies
Because complete avoidance of negative people is near impossible, I have included 3 quick recovery remedies that aid relaxation and help switch on the parasympathetic nervous system (system responsible for bringing calm and balance to the body).
Take a Salted, Magnesium, Essential Oil Bath:
This is an incredible combination for instilling calm and overall balance. Salt clears negative energy, it also heals and softens the skin.
Magnesium helps one relax, and boosts energy, supports the endocrine system and aids sleep (quality sleep is essential for repairs).
Choosing an essential oil, such as lavender, further supports deep relaxation.
Still the Mind and Calm the Breath:
When stressed or anxious the breathing becomes erratic and thoughts go into overdrive, this only serves in heightening stress and weakens the body.
To quieten the mind, sit comfortably in a darkened room, with incense or your favourite essential oil burning, and practice alternate nostril breathing. This breathing technique brings instant serenity and quietens a chaotic mind.
Get Outdoors:
An effortless way to restore balance is by simply stepping out in nature (read more here), or by using a technique called Earthing (read more here).
Empaths Empowered 