Empaths 101!

I think that from time to time, a little PSA about empaths is a good thing! 😉 There are soooooo many of us out there, and not everyone totally understands what it means or how it can feel to be one 🤷🏻‍♀️ YOU might even not know that you are one! Either way, I challenge you to read on…

Empaths are, to put it bluntly, emotional sponges. We absorb both the stress and joy of the world. We feel EVERYTHING – often to an extreme – and have little guard up between others and ourselves (until we learn how to!). But as a result of that, we are often overwhelmed by excessive stimulation and are prone to exhaustion and sensory overload! Which can make you feel crazy sometimes…I feel you, boo, been there! 😳💁🏻‍♀️

Empaths have an extremely reactive neurological system, and don’t have the same filters as non-empaths to block out stimulation. 🤚This is why we absorb into ourselves the positive and negative energies around us! An interesting way to think about it is our sensitivity level is like holding something in a hand that has 50 fingers instead of 5 – we are super responders! 💁🏻‍♀️

Everyone has a subtle energy field surrounding their body, a soft radiant light that penetrates and extends beyond our bodies a distance of inches or even feet (everyone is different!). 💫

👆These fields are where emotional and physical well-being or distress are projected. As empaths, this is what we can feel/absorb from other people! When our energy fields overlap, we pick up what other people are putting off. This is where you will pick up emotions or feelings that are not your own and begin to feel them in your own mind and body. What so many empaths are missing is the ability to identify what’s ‘us’ verses what’s ‘them’ in our bodies, and how to manage that!

💫Have you ever been labeled as ‘overly sensitive’?
💫Been told to ‘man/woman up’ or ‘get a thicker skin’?
💫Ever been shamed for your sensitivities rather than supported?
💫Experience exhaustion and want to retreat from the world because it feels so overwhelming?

With experiencing so much negativity between responses from other people, and our own physical feeling of the world, it’s common for Empaths to want to reject their gift! Because if you don’t understand what’s going on, and don’t know how to ground and protect yourself, it truly can be a negative experience! I’m making it my mission to change that 🌺

Many people don’t know my story specifically, so long story short: my extremely strong empathic gift (that I didn’t know for so long that I had) led me to be diagnosed with a pretty significant mental health label – this happens so often!

We live in a world where people want to label and diagnose based on a system THEY have learned and understand, rather than look for other reasons behind the ‘symptoms’ and behaviors. Not one counselor in all my years of trying to get a handle on what was happening in my mind and body ever even approached a subject close to this. And it’s not their fault, that’s just not how our society works! Luckily, I found this path and this knowledge on my own and have been able to ‘heal’ myself (really just get a handle on my abilities and what comes with them!) by learning how to protect myself and understand myself and what is different about me!

I refer to being an Empath as having a GIFT, and I truly believe that to be true! Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have agreed – because I had no awareness! No support, no knowledge of this world, or myself, or how to navigate it. 🚫

Do you identify with some or all of what I shared above as the definition of being an Empath? I’d love to hear your story! What has your experience been? 🤔💜

Our stories are all different – no two empaths are the same! We share many similarities in our gifts, yes, but since every human is different, no one will experience things in the exact same way. && that’s okay!

You have a superpower, girlfriend! If you’re struggling right now, or have in the past just remember – even superheroes have to learn how to manage their powers and gifts, just think of yourself as a superhero in training! 💜💁🏻‍♀️😁

I’d love to hear your story, please feel free to share in the comments below, or message me directly through the “contact me” page above! And if you enjoyed this, remember to subscribe! 💜😉