“The sad thing that many of us empaths don’t realize is that often our desire to heal others is a disguised cry for help for our own healing. Because many of us weren’t taught how to value or nurture ourselves at a young age, we tend to unconsciously seek out our own healing in the healing of others.”  Mateo Sol

1.From “Empowering Empaths: A Guide to Using Your Gift“:

The Key to Success for Empaths

As with any process of transformation, the first step to becoming an empowered empath is to recognize that you are an empath. Once you accept this you open the door to becoming aware of your own emotions.

Becoming Aware

The key to using your gift as an empath is to learn how to differentiate your emotions from the emotions of others. This takes time and practice. When you feel something, ask yourself, ‘Am I feeling this emotion because something has happened to me, or am I feeling what someone else is feeling because something has happened to them?’ If you find yourself taking on another person’s emotions, take steps to clear that emotion and create an emotional boundary for yourself to prevent this from continuing.

Emotions, like physical pain, are indicators to help us understand how to navigate our life. If you burn yourself touching a hot stove, you will learn to avoid the stove when it’s hot. Similarly, if you get burnt by a friend, you may avoid trusting them in the future.

As an empath, you must understand the importance of what your emotions are telling you. If you are constantly feeling drained or bogged down by other people’s emotions you may be missing your own emotional messages that are there to point you in the right direction.

How do you use it?

As an empowered empath, you have the ability to be proactive with yourself. Once you become aware of your own emotions you can recognize what you need and when you need it. Honoring your own sensitivities helps you avoid overwhelming situations and plan ahead to get what you need. If you’re sensitive to crowds, you may choose to show up early to a party when just a few people are arriving. Or if important projects tend to drain your energy, you could give yourself extra time to decompress once you have finished a project.

Since you can feel what others are feeling, you can also prepare ahead of time to provide others with what they need. If you notice that your roommate is anxious because of tomorrow’s deadline, you don’t have to take on that anxiety. You could proactively volunteer to make dinner, giving your roommate time and space to prepare. Or if you know that your mom tends to have a hard time around Easter because that’s when Grandma died, you can spend some quality time with her or do something to show her how much you care.

2.From “The Top 10 Traits of an Empath”:

1. Empaths are highly sensitive

Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually open, and good listeners. If you want heart, empaths have got it. Through thick and thin, they’re there for you, world-class nurturers. But they can easily have their feelings hurt. Empaths are often told that they are “too sensitive” and need to toughen up.

2. Empaths absorb other people’s emotions

Empaths are highly attuned to other people’s moods, good and bad. They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme. They take on negativity such as anger or anxiety which is exhausting. If they are around peace and love, their bodies take these on and flourish.

3. Many empaths are introverted

Empaths become overwhelmed in crowds, which can amplify their empathy. They tend to be introverted and prefer one to one contact or small groups. Even if an empath is more extroverted they prefer limiting how much time they can be in a crowd or at a party.

MORE.

3.From “Living outside the box–I am an Official Empowered Empath“:

I know things because of this blog and all of you… and yeah, maybe some of it I knew all along. Who knows? Who cares?

The point is… well, I’ve already said it. Know. things. Like what, you may ask? Let me tell you.

Like how I never hurry. Or, perhaps I should say, I don’t hurry anymore. I used to hurry… all the time. I got up at the last possible moment, got to work 1 minute before 9, clocked out at precisely 5, practically ran to my car, ran to the store to pick up dinner because I hadn’t planned properly, and hurried to cook it. Maybe the kids had something planned that I had to rush to after dinner…maybe not. Didn’t matter. I rushed. Everywhere.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Know what happened? I wasn’t ready when clients came in. I tripped over curbs, burned myself at the stove, and fell into bed exhausted at night.

Now, I still may be exhausted when I go to bed but it’s not because I was hurrying.

I wake up 15 minutes before I need to in the morning so I can sit in bed, sip coffee and coo at the cats and/or check out Facebook.