Are you an empath?

Many people take “empath” to mean different things. And, it’s true, empaths are many things, and have varying levels of talent, insight, and perception. However, we can define empaths broadly as follows:

And just to be clear, the formal nomenclature for empaths is “clairsentient.”

You may say to yourself: “I’m an empath. That’s definitely me!”

And it may be true. But remember, empaths have  EXTREME sensitivity to the energies and people that surround them.  Being emotional does not necessarily mean you are a true empath. These people feel all spectrums of emotion much more intensely than the average person.

And it’s important to note that they’re not just irrationally emotional; they are extremely perceptive and able to extract insight and learning from the energy they receive.

Without further ado, here are the incrdible traits of empaths:

Please note: The below characteristics are only meant to be indicators. You don’t necessarily need to meet all of these criteria in order to be an empath. And if you happen to find that you do meet all the indicators, it does not necessarily mean you are an empath, either. A very tiny percentage of the world’s population are actually true empaths, but that is not meant to discourage. Have fun!

Empaths are known to be extremely sensitive. If  someone has ever told you that you’re “way too sensitive,” then you may be an empath.

Now, everyone qualifies “way too sensitive” in different ways. For instance, if  you’re insulted and become upset, that’s simply normal. However, if you find yourself experiencing intense, visceral emotional pain when watching or listening to something that the masses are unmoved by, then you may be a true empath.

Remember, real empaths experience real, visceral emotional pain, sensitivity and anguish from situations, words,  visuals or music that most people are unmoved by.

They’ll also find that other people’s energy can “stick” to them, causing an immense amount of uneasiness and discomfort.

Have you ever met someone and just gotten a bad vibe?  Or maybe there’s been a situation where you just “knew” what was going on. And there is no reason or logic to this “knowing,” but you eventually find out that you were dead right.

Many people refer this as “trusting your gut,” but an empath is spot-on the vast majority of the time. Their gift allows them to sense things that other people can’t pick up. They’re a very, very good judge of character, and can sense whether or not someone has good intentions very quickly.

You should definitely trust your empath friend when they tell you they don’t have a good feeling about something!

We all feel bad when someone we care about is upset or harmed, but empaths experience the distress of others as if it were their own.  Empaths are prone to becoming exhausted, both mentally and physically, because of this deep connection to emotional energy.

Have you ever been in a crowd of people and feel overcome by anxiety & fatigue?

It’s important to note that some people, in fact, a lot of people, just don’t like crowds. For many, especially introverts, crowds are intense and exhausting. But, indeed, empaths too dislike crowds very much, but for different reasons.

Empaths are bombarded by the energy of crowds. If you think of energy literally emanating from humans, the empath is being hit by and, absorbing, all of this energy – both positive and negative.

This energy is deflected by non-empaths, but empaths feel all of it, and it’s downright exhausting and overwhelming! They just have to get out.

In the same vein as crowds, excessive noise and chatter is paifuln for empaths.  Again, most of this energy, both bad and good, is absorbed and processed by empaths. It’s downright overwhelming.

Empaths are always worried about controlling their environment and, more importantly, how to escape an overwhelming one.

For example, if an empath is going to a party, they will almost certainly never carpool with someone else. Instead, they will take their own car. Why? Because they are haunted by the thought of being trapped in an overwhelming environment without a way to leave.

Empaths are professional binge eaters. Yep, a lot of us eat when we’re upset. Just like everyone else, food makes us feel better!

But empaths take it to the extreme – bing eating can become a disorder; empaths are prone to developing very unhealthy relationships with food in order to manage their feelings.

Because empaths feel so intensely, relationships can quickly become too much to handle. You’ll find they tend to back away for no good reason – even when it appears that the relationship is going really well.

It’s not just that the euphoria of a great relationship is overwhelming, but empaths fear the intense pain associated with the end of a relationship.

Dude, don’t even try to lie. You don’t stand a chance. We pick on dishonestly like it’s our job. And we know if you’re trying to play or us or someone we care about. It’s easy for us to pick up, and we don’t stand for it.

We’re not only experts at picking up on energy, but we can read your body language like a pro.

Characterizing these people as “moody” is an understatement. They come off as downright bipolar and are not afraid to let you know they’re upset. In fact, they hate, or are even unable, to pretend that they’re feeling something other than what they’re feeling.

In short, they wear their feelings on their sleeve. And because they’re so sensitive, they’re often pretty miserable if things aren’t going their way.

This isn’t’ to say that empaths are nasty people – it is to say that their emotions overcome them in a way they’re unable to control.

Okay, maybe not a literal “creative genius,” but certainly very in love with art, music, dancing or any other creative endeavor. With all of this feeling comes a need to express oneself in a way that releases all that pent up energy.

In short, creative endeavors are cathartic, and essential to maintaining spiritual balance and happiness.

They love:

Because I remember and feel every single detail, my stories are incredibly intricate and enthralling. Everyone’s inched in and waiting to hear the next bit of my story. My endless imagination will captivate you and make you feel as if you’re living in my story.

We’re called “empaths” for a reason – because we’re extremely empathetic.

We want to help everyone. We volunteer whenever we can and lend a helping hand if we’re able to. You’ll find us at soup kitchens or at benefits. And we might give our last dollar to a cause we believe in. Because we can feel your anguish, we want to help you in any way possible.

Literally. We probably love our pets more than we love our best friends or family members.

An animal’s energy is pure and positive, and brings us great joy. It’s not uncommon to have multiple pets; dogs, cats birds etc. We love them all!

We love to be out in nature and have a great appreciation for the grandeur, beauty and wonder of the earth. You’ll often hear an empath contemplate our place in the universe, and deeply respect the ephemeral nature of human life on planet earth.

Because empaths feel the good and the bad so intensely, they tend to have addictive personalities and want a lot more of the good stuff than most people. They tend not to have that “off” switch.

Whether it’s food , coffee, alcohol or, yes, other drugs, they tend to have extreme habits.

Empaths are naturally very curious people. They seek out knowledge whenever and wherever they can, and their curiosity often sends them on wild adventures to seek out the truth and/or fix a problem.

In fact, they become obsessive, often to their detriment (being obsessive and staying up too late). Again, this goes back to fact that empaths often have addictive personalities, and figuring something out often provides them with a high.

We’ve all been down on our luck, but empaths remember what that feels like – they never turn a blind eye. They understand, and they want to help. Whether it’s standing up for someone being bullied, or helping someone who’s in need, an empath will be there to support you.

Many empaths have dream lives that are as vivid and interesting as their waking lives. And they’re obsessed with understanding the connection between the two. They might keep a dream journal and many consider themselves experts at dream interpretation.

They also tend to be interested in lucid dreaming and out-of-body experiences, like astral projection.

Empaths are extremely receptive to paranormal phenomenon. We’ve all had that eerie feeling where it seems someone is watching you. But because empaths are so extremely perceptive, they experience this much more often.

Many report having experienced a lot of paranormal phenomenon in their lives, including ghostly experiences.

They also find themselves drawn to lucid dreaming, astral projection, and other out-of-body experiences (OOB). In short, they’re very much aware that the body is vessel for the soul, and that there are ways to transcend the human experience.

If you’ve ever been on a road trip with an empath, you were probably close to losing your mind. One minute you’re listening to Taylor Swift, and the next DMX.

Empaths are easily moved not only by the sounds of music, but the lyrics as well. Their emotions are in constant flux.

Empaths have a very low tolerance for the boring or mundane. This is why they tend to have addictive personalities – they want that next “high.” It’s also why you might find them frequently switching jobs. Once the novelty of the new job has worn off, they’re looking for a new adventure.

For these reasons, it’s easy for an empath to become detached and distant, dreaming of what might be.

Empaths are always looking for the next great adventure. The unknown excites them, and they’re willing to take risks. If you want to do something ridiculous, your empath friend is the first person you should ask.

Although empaths love a good adventure, they’re introverts at heart. After a lot of excitement, they need to recharge, and this means they’ll hole up for hours or days at a time.

Empaths don’t handle corporate america well – mostly because they have a very low tolerance for BS and authority in general. Anything that reduces their autonomy is unbearable.

It’s surprising that, given how emotional empaths tend to be, they don’t talk about their feelings.

Why?

Simple: they don’t think anyone will be able to understand their thoughts, feelings and way of thinking and interpreting the world. It’s a lonely road. And, not surprisingly, keeping everything inside takes a toll on their mental health.

Great, you made it! But we still have more to learn . . .

Are you really an empath, or are you just empathetic?

It is important to draw the distinction between being an empathetic human being ( being able to relate to how someone else feels), and being a true empath, or clairsentient. Caroline, at The Happy Sensitive, estimates that only 2-4% of  the population is clairsentient. This means that the vast majority of people are just empathetic – not empaths.

The Confusing Life of an Empath

Most empaths live a very confused life. They’re inundated by all types of energy and emotion and, a lot of the time, don’t even know that they’re empaths, or even what it means to be an empath. And because of this, they’re not equipped with the right tools to handle and/or harness their talents.

Sponging

Empaths are always being hit with, and feeling, all kinds of energy – especially other people’s energy.  This is called “sponging.” Imagine empaths as a big sponge, and energy as water. All that energy is absorbed by an empath, and it’s not easy to deal with.

Sponging becomes an issue because empaths falsely believe the energy they receive from others is their own. They’re overcome by sudden emotions that come out of left field. Of course, these emotions confuse them, because they didn’t realize they were feeling them in the first place. And they’re right – they weren’t! They’re someone else’s feelings!

It becomes a serious problem because an untrained empath believes  these emotions are theirs and, in a way, take responsibility for them.  This allows them to “stick.” Of course, this creates undue burden and emotional distress.

Suffering from low self-esteem

Low self-esteem is often a byproduct of sponging and embedding other people’s feelings into your psyche. In order to have high self-esteem, you need to feel good about yourself. But when you’re taking on other people’s emotions, you get bogged down by all of that negative energy.

Training Yourself to Deal with & Deflect Energy

The first step to becoming a trained empath is to understand that you’re receiving other people’s energy. The second step is learning how to understand and manage the energy without allowing it to permeate  your person.

In other words,  you must be able to first recognize the energy, understand and digest it, and then be able to let it go without allowing it to affect you.

For instance, a friend of yours might be very upset. You receive their suffering, but don’t accept it as your own. Instead, you use it to help your friend through their difficult time. And, when the time has come, you purge the negativity from your being.

Of course, this only comes with time and practice.

Finally, don’t let fear run your life.

As an empath, it’s easy to shield yourself from the world. In fact, many empaths become reclusive because they’re unable to deal and manage the energy in day-to-day life. And because empaths feel a weird sort of responsibility to always help people, they unwittingly surround themselves with a lot of negative energy.

If you work on recognizing, processing, and deflecting incoming energy, you’ll find that being an empath is a gift – indeed a tool – that can help you make an impact on the lives that surround you.