The Ups and Downs of Being an Empath

By Elizabeth Diamond

The hallmark of an empath is feeling other people’s energy and emotions as if they were their own. 

If you’re an empath, then you know what I’m talking about. You know that your hypersensitivity makes you incredibly understanding, compassionate, and highly intuitive. 

The downside is that it can also make you an emotional sponge. If you’re soaking up the negativity of other people and the environment, you may suffer from overwhelm, stress, anxiety, and isolation.

In “normal” times, that’s challenging enough. But with the volatility of our world in transition, and its amplified fear and uncertainty swirling throughout the collective, empaths are even more susceptible to absorbing the global turbulence and pain. 

The good news is that all of this can be healed and transformed so you can thrive as an empath. Not only that, you can bring the full force of your intuitive healing gifts to your life and in support of the greater good. 

To begin, it helps to understand how being an empath affects your energy. 

Empaths Are Like Radio Receivers For Energy

Spiritual traditions have been telling us for millennia (and quantum physics now demonstrates) that everything is, at its source, energy. That means you, me, the planet, the oceans, your coffee cup, and so on. Everything is energy at its source.

Each of us is surrounded by our own energy field (aura bubble), radiating our own unique energy signature or frequency. Emotion is energy too, and every emotion (e.g., anger, sadness, joy) has its own energy signature. So when you experience sadness, the energy signature or frequency of sadness can be detected in your energy field. 

Similarly, when a friend comes to you with sadness, they will radiate the frequency of sadness. Because you are so highly sensitive to energy, you (perhaps unwittingly) tune into your friend’s emotional frequency. You actually resonate with and absorb their sadness. 

To grasp how this high attunement to energy plays out in daily life, let’s take a look at some of the signs of being an empath.

Signs You’re An Empath

• People confide in you. You’re a good listener. Friends and acquaintances seek you out when they’re in distress and need a shoulder to lean on. 
• You’re highly intuitive. Your intuition can speak to you through sensation, vision, and knowing. You prefer to trust your instincts when making decisions. 
• You have a robust inner lie detector and can sense when something or someone is “off.” 
• Busy crowds overwhelm you. Crowded places like shopping malls and busy airports can overload your nervous system and provoke anxiety. 
• You struggle with intimacy overload in relationship. This means that you can only take so much togetherness and then need to spend time alone to refocus and recharge.
• Small talk drives you crazy. Even though people may mean well, superficial banter often masks repressed emotional pain. You can feel their pain and be stressed by the fact that they’re avoiding dealing with it. 
• Animals and nature are safe havens for you. Being among animals and nature brings you a sense of peace. When in nature, you release excess energy you’ve picked up from others, which is profoundly healing to your body and energy system.

You may experience some of these signs more than others. The key is to tune into your own inner experience and become aware of how energy impacts you. 

Along with increased awareness, you’ll also want to practice simple energy tools to ground and set your energy.  

Grounding Clears & Soothes Your Overstimulated Nervous System

One simple yet highly effective way for empaths to clear excess or unwanted energy is to practice grounding. Grounding helps you to connect to the center of the earth, feel rooted, and release energy that doesn’t belong to you into the earth for composting. Try it out with these four easy steps.

4 Steps To Ground Your Energy

• Begin by sitting in a chair with your feet on the floor. 
• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Relax your body with each breath.
• Imagine a beam of light extending from your tailbone to the center of the earth. Allow this beam of light, or grounding cord, to attach securely to the center of the earth. 
• Sit peacefully in this position for several minutes as you experience a release of excess energy down your grounding cord and into the center of the earth. (The earth will compost and transform the energy, just as it composts and transforms old decaying leaves into vital nutrients for new growth.)

You can ground your energy anytime, anywhere. Grounding, and other practices like setting healthy energy boundaries, empowers you to take charge of your energy no matter what’s going on around you.

When you understand what it means to be an empath and how it affects your energy, you’re able to embrace your authentic nature. As you do, not only will you learn to manage your sensitivities, but you’ll also discover the clarity and freedom you need to share your healing gifts with the world.

Want to learn more?  You are invited to take our new course, Essential Energy Care for the Awakening Empath, a live, online 5-week course starting September 9th. This class is open to all!