3 Signs You Might Be An Empath
Hello!
Today I want to talk about people who are Empaths and why it’s so gosh darn important to understand the term so that you can recognise this trait in your friends or yourself.
Empaths make up about 15% of the population and are not constrained by race, age, culture, gender or sexuality however you will find that most empaths end up in caring careers such as the health and wellness sector.
In this post we’ll provide 3 real life examples of an Empath and what you’ll need to know if you yourself are an Empath.
What is an Empath?
Empaths are the healers, the carers and the hope that we need in this world. Empaths are the ones who will feed the hungry, heal the sick and lift up the weary in society.
Empaths are often misunderstood and without the proper care can take on the worlds problems and the feelings of others as their own which can lead them to having issues with burnout, addiction and mental illness.
Empaths are also the unfortunate victims of narcissists and sociopaths so it’s crucial that we understand this term and know what we need to do to help our empathic friends, family or ourselves.
As Mateo Sol says in his book Awakened Empath: The Ultimate Guide to Emotional, Psychological and Spiritual Healing, “Empaths feel more deeply, more intensely, and more persistently than those around us. We even feel what other people are afraid to feel within themselves.”
#1 You feel what they feel
There is a reason it’s called being an empath, rather than a sympath.
Sympathy (from the Greek words syn "together" and pathos "feeling" which means "fellow-feeling") is being able to interpret emotional and societal cues to gage and understand how someone else might be feeling.
Example of Sympathy;
Your best friends Dad just had a heart attack and is in hosptal.
You automatically know this will distress your friend, you may even think how you’d feel in this situation and may reach out to check in on your friend, expressing sympathy for them and the situation.
You understand Sympathy through emotional intelligence and societal conditioning.
Empathy in regards to someone who is an Empath; is different. Empaths don’t just know how a situation might make someone feel, they actually FEEL what someone else is feeling without any societal or situational cues to go off.
Example of an Empath;
You arrive at a cafe to meet your best friend and before you even sit down you feel sad, anxious and really on edge. Your friend then tells you their Dad has had a heart attack and is in hospital and you both tear up talking about it. You can actually feel their pain.
Empaths have a high sensitivity to energy and can unconsciously read the energy that other people are giving off. Without proper boundaries and awareness, Empaths can mistake other peoples feelings for their own, this is how real their empathy is.
#2 The News, TV & Social Media really affect you
You may tear up at TV advertisements, movies and even a friends emotional status update on Facebook. When you hear the news whilst driving your car, you can be overtaken with sadness, anger and fear at the stories that you hear.
This reaction is due to Empaths ‘living’ through someone elses story and feeling what they feel. It doesn’t even matter if the story is real or fictional, their empathic senses still get overwhelmed regardless of distance in time or space.
If you know or suspect you are an Empath, a social media detox can do wonders for your mental health and general wellness so make sure to schedule it in as often as you need.
#3 You are good at masking your own feelings
You understand the weight that emotions can place on others and are hesitant to ‘burden’ them with your own feelings. Especially if that person is already hurting in some way (aren’t we all).
Empaths want to be a source of strength and support.
This means that your own emotional wellbeing is often placed last, well below all your friends and family which is a very tiring load to carry and is why Empaths frequently suffer from depression, anxiety and burn out.
I’m an empath! - Now what?
If you relate to any of these points you will definitely need to implement some good psychic hygiene practices such as cleansing, clearing and grounding to ensure the feelings you’re feeling are truly yours.
I’ve also got a YouTube video up on Cord Cutting which is a technique I recommend to anyone stuck in a toxic relationship (whether that is friend/family/romantic), which happens often to those with empathic qualities.
Hopefully this post has validated some of the things you feel and helped you to know yourself better.
Brightest Blessings,
Hana the Suburban Witch
Meet Hana
Hana O’Neill, the Suburban Witch is a professional Tarot & Astrology reader, Intuitive Coach and the host of the Witch Talks podcast.
