"Being an Empath
Just to clarify Empathy, as defined by the English Dictionary, is ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’. You may hear several terms used synonymously to describe this including; sensitive, empath, clairsentience and a more recent term clair-knowing. For the sake of this article I will use the term Empath. I must however, make it clear that this is not the same as being sympathetic, which means feeling for a person but you do not necessarily understand the way they feel.Being an empath literally means being aware of and sensing your surroundings – whether positive or negative. They can literally pick up the feelings and emotions of others, something they fail to understand especially in their younger years. I can remember a pivotal moment in my life when I just ‘got it’ and may I add, that this moment was only three years ago at the ripe old age of 31. In that very moment, I suddenly could differentiate the feelings of another against my own. It was such a subtle difference that my logical, conscious mind questioned it, but my instinct and intuition just knew. It was a wonderfully liberating feeling and I remember thinking to myself; now I know what that feels like I can be aware of it happening again. Once you become aware, you can begin to protect yourself from absorbing the feelings and emotions (which I will term energy) of others.
Not everyone can automatically, willingly or unwillingly, tune-in to empathise or sense the feeling of another. Empaths do not have the ability to just switch it off, to just stop being empathetic. It’s in their nature, part of their make-up and who they are fundamentally. Therefore, it is not what they have learnt or a behaviour they have adopted.
Energy is Everything
The world is an ocean of frantic energy, a collection of human emotions and thoughts, electromagnetic vibrations from TV, phones, wi-fi to name but a few. These energies are all around us, and just like radio waves, we may not see them but know they are there. Empaths feel and tune-in to these energies on an unconscious level, which is why simple tasks can become draining on the empaths personal energy resources.If we look at the human being and their five basic senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. They are all designed to pick up subtle frequencies of energy which are interpreted by the brain. For the empath, one, a few or all of these senses are heightened, they are more sensitive – which means they can easily tap into their intuition (I like to call this our 6th sense).
Because energy is everything and everywhere, even having a conversation with another can cause inner conflict for an empath because they really feel the words spoken. They pick up on body language and all the subtle non-direct behaviours and cues that emanate from another. So often people have hidden agendas, have emotional blockages, fears and insecurities that they mask with words, they may not even be aware of this themselves, but an empath can discern the truth; the true energy of another.
Remember 80% of the messages we send and receive are non-verbal and 55% of the messages received and processed by the brain are based on body language. Therefore, empaths can be overwhelmed with the amount of information and energy flowing towards them, that they have to process. Empaths can commonly be seen as over emotional, weak, fragile, fussy or even sometimes as emotionally detached and ‘in their own world’. This is often a coping mechanism they have adopted to withstand living in such a frantic world of chaotic energy.
Practices to Manage and Strengthen your Gift
For me I have unknowingly adopted several practices over the years, which have helped me to establish balance and stability. I find quiet times invaluable, with limited electrical equipment in my home, being in Mother Nature and connecting with her, to help ground my energy. The purchase of several, although not expensive, crystals to help protect, cleanse and strengthen my energy field. Regular exercise also helps to release any build-up of unwanted tension and energy. However the most profound has been regularly meditation and I believe this is the most powerful way to stay true to yourself.Emotional Detachment and Dissociation
The hardest lesson for me, which I am still trying to master, is practising emotional detachment. In psychology there are two meanings to this, firstly the ‘inability to connect’ with others emotionally and secondly (the one which empaths must practice) is ‘dissociation’; the decision to avoid engaging in emotional connections. At first I thought this would be an impossible task and that by doing this I would lose my compassionate and understanding qualities, but in fact it meant that I could be of more service to others. By creating more definite energetic boundaries, I could allow others to feel their emotion without taking them on as my own. By remaining impartial I could allow for a stronger space for others to release in order for me to engage for much longer periods..."Read more...