If you are an Empath you will already know that being in public places can be a traumatizing affair. Simply nipping to the shopping mall can mean you end up ‘wearing’ someone else’s energy for the rest of the day. Which isn’t such a bad thing if the energy is positive and highly charged. But it is mostly the not-so-nice energy that follows you home.
On my journey as an Empath, I have found the best way to stay protected, when out in public places, is to either take pre-emptive measures before leaving home or use energy balancing techniques as and when needed.
As all Empaths are different, what works for one might not work for another. And depending on the circumstances you might need to use different techniques for different situations… or several techniques all at once.
Here are some of the most effective and easy protective techniques you can use before, during or after crowd exposure:
Most Empaths come to learn how to navigate the moods and emotions of others, but when there is an energy shift it can throw them right off.
The problem is an Empath may not know how to differentiate between experiencing a ‘shift in the planetary energy’ between experiencing other peoples’ emotional energy.
Rewiring and rebooting are words used within ascension circles as an expression of how we are affected by energy shifts. During these times, I feel those two words could not be more appropriate.
Intense energy shifts can lift us up or bring us crashing down. They often trigger anger, frustration, depression or incredible joy.
Here are 6 ways in which energy shifts may impact you physically and emotionally:
1. Feeling wired followed by crashing fatigue:
Up and down we go. From wanting to sleep for the world one day to feeling electrically wired the next.
Fatigue is commonly experienced by an Empath, but the fizzy-type of energy experienced from energy shifts cannot be mistaken, it pretty much leaves you feeling like you have been charged up with electricity. And although you may feel mentally or physically tired, this buzzing energy can keep you awake at night.
2. Brain fog:
Poor memory recall and a fuzzy head seems to be the norm in recent years; but when there’s a shift do not be surprised if you feel more scatty than normal.
3. Intense emotional ups and downs, very bi-polar in nature, or being hyper-sensitive:
It may seem like I’m stating the obvious here, because for Empaths it is normal to feel strong emotions, yet these emotions/sensations are not like the normal ones we experience. They come out of nowhere and range from anger to blissful happiness.
You may find yourself waking up in a bad mood, with no reason, or little things that would not normally bother you suddenly have you riled. Then you may find yourself feeling happier than you ever have.
We are also getting the backlash of others’ strong emotions. Many people are now being activated or affected, as I have said many times before, it can be very easy to lay claim to another’s emotions and build them into our own life-story.
4. Having zero tolerance for selfish or self-pitying behaviour and drawing a line under past dramas:
You may have previously been able to put up with another’s self-centred ways, but now find yourself quickly backing away from dramas.
You could have come to a point where you will no longer put up with bad behaviour, nor allow others to pull you down. You have decided enough is enough!
This is not by chance. It’s as though we are disconnecting from all the irresolvable dramas and family or friendship feuds that we had in our past, not wanting them to have any part in our future. And there are very good reasons for this:
You have very likely been on this path for many years; and during this time you have dealt with your emotional wounds, whilst others around you looked on or had no idea what you were enduring. In recent times, those others are now going through these changes. It is their turn to process and deal with their emotional wounds.
So, if you find yourself walking away or distancing yourself from family or lifelong friends’ dramas, selfish behaviour or other, it is your internal knowing, stopping you from getting involved.
If you find past issues stirred up, that you had long since forgotten or already dealt with, it is very likely because they have been triggered within a friend or family member, as part of the energetic shifts, and you are picking up on them. This may have further pushed you away.
For Empaths, walking away from those in emotional turmoil is not something that comes naturally. It may seem somewhat cruel or aggressive. But you are not being cruel by not engaging in ‘their stuff’, it is simply not yours to deal with. They have to do it for themselves.
This is very much a DIY process!
5. A change in diet and lifestyle:
Another sign of energy shifts is wanting to change one’s lifestyle. An example of this would be giving up foods, drinks or habits that do not promote all-round health, happiness and wellbeing.
Most Empaths make gradual changes to their lifestyle over the ‘awakening years’, but when there’s been a shift, all the pieces start clicking together. You find a diet or exercise plan that works to heal your body, mind and spirit, and you want to stick with it.
6. Ready to take the leap:
You may also suddenly feel very ready to make big changes: in your career, social life or habitat. You find yourself doing things you have wanted to do, but put off for years.
It’s as though the past self-doubts that previously held us back, no longer have the same hold. But, we also know we’ve got to meet our new life half-way and that means stepping out into the world to bring it forth.
These are just some of the ways you may have experienced the shifts and I’m sure there will be many others too, not listed here.
But one thing is for sure: if we are to truly evolve in life we cannot have the old dramas (people, jobs, lifestyles) dragging us back down.
Energy shifts help us evolve, and although they may be uncomfortable, they help take us to all the right places.
Did you know that random, or unexplained, sinus pressure or blocked sinuses can be an indication of an imbalance within one’s masculine and feminine energy?
There is clear evidence that a sift is happening within the balance of, what was, an overly dominant masculine world. The feminine certainly seems to be rising. So, it is hardly surprising that we are seeing many people suffering with nasal problems such as a blocked or runny nose, sinus headaches and nasal pressure (even out of the hay fever season).
All this nasal pressure, amongst the Sensitives of the world, could be a sign that a re-balance is indeed in the process of happening. But let me explain why…
Whilst studying in India for my yoga teaching, we learnt how pranayama (ancient breathing techniques) rebalances the physical and energetic bodies, which includes the chakras and nadis. And how, by regular practise, one could balance their masculine and feminine energy.
Before we go any further, for those of you who are not familiar with chakras and nadis, I shall give a brief overview of the energy body:
As well as the physical body, we have an energy body known as the pranic sheath. Within our pranic sheath there are over 72,000 spiritual currents or energy nerves called the nadis which correlate with the nerves in the physical body (in acupuncture they are known as meridians). To get an idea of what the nadis look like visualise a huge plate of cooked spaghetti, with strands running in and out and overlapping.
A point where many nadis accumulate is known as a chakra.
It is said, we have 14 main nadis, of which I’m going to cover 2: the Ida nadi and the Pingala nadi.
The Ida nadi governs the feminine, left side of the body, which in turn activates the right (visual, intuitive and creative) side of the brain.
The Pingala nadi governs the masculine, right side of the body and activates the left (logical) side of the brain.
Signs you have a poor functioning Ida nadi (femine energy) are: extreme coldness, depression, low mental energy, sluggish digestion, and a blocked left nostril.
Signs of a poor functioning Pingala nadi (masculine energy): excessive body heat, quick temper, itching body, dry skin and throat, excessive appetite, excessive physical or sexual energy, blocked right nostril.
When the left nostril is dominant (more airflow passing through nostril) it means the right side of the brain is more active and when the right nostril is dominant, the left side of the brain is more active. The dominance of each nostril should change throughout the day.
Now, here is where things get confusing: Although the left hemisphere of the brain is masculine the left side of the body is feminine, and the right hemisphere of the brain is feminine but the right side of the body is masculine. So when you are classed as being left-brained the right side of your body is usually dominant and vice versa… Phew! Explaining that just gave me brain-ache!
You may have heard the saying that when someone is known to be left-brained (masculine) they tend to be logical, driven, analytical and fast-paced. The left side of the brain is associated with aggression, physical strength, control and ego.
And with the right brain being associated with creativity, inner-strength and intuition, those who are right-brained (feminine) tend to be are artsy, sensitive, nurturing and easy-going.
Empaths and Highly Sensitive People tend to be right-brained.
Here’s a quick check to see which side of your brain is more dominant:
Block your right nostril with your thumb and breath through the left, now swap over and block the the left nostril and breath through the right.
Which side was the dominant?
If your left nostril was dominant it means the right hemisphere of your brain is more active.
If it was the right nostril, that was dominant, then your left brain is more active.
Dependant on which side is active/dominant will depend on how well you fare in certain tasks.
If your right nostril is dominant it’s a good time to do physically challenging activities, when the left nostril is activated it’s a good time to be creative, meditate or reflective.
If you find your nostrils are often blocked or painful, without any apparent cause (i.e. cold, allergies or other irritants), it could be a sign that your masculine and feminine energy is off-balance or that you are reacting to the ‘shifting energy of the world’. It might also indicate that you have problems within your energy body (read more here to see if your energy body is weak or damaged).
As an Empath, it is interesting to observe how the sinuses are affected by those around you. Because Empaths are often overly-affected by other people’s energy it can also affect their masculine and feminine energies. Notice what happens to your sinuses when around certain people, especially those who are overly masculine or feminine.
To help balance your masculine and feminine energy, there is an excellent breathing technique you can use, called Nadi Shodhana. Otherwise known as alternate-nostril breathing, when practised regularly this breathing technique helps balance the ida and pingala nadis : Click here for instructions
If you have an imbalance within your masculine and feminine energy you may also be suffering with a damaged energy field and leaky aura. Learn more about this condition here. If this is the case, you will always struggle to spend time around others, until you work to repair it.
Hope this post may help you on your Empath journey.
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.
If you are an Empath you will already know that being in public places can be a traumatizing affair. Simply nipping to the shopping mall can mean you end up ‘wearing’ someone else’s energy for the rest of the day. Which isn’t such a bad thing if the energy is positive and highly charged. But it is mostly the not-so-nice energy that follows you home.
Empaths Empowered 