The Gift of an Empath

I am an empath.
Do you feel almost everything deeply?  Do you sense or absorb other people's emotions/energy, or that of animals and the natural world?  Then perhaps you are an empath too. 

First of all, what is empathy?
By definition, empathy is the ability to share and understand another's feelings - to walk in their shoes so to speak.  It is often confused with sympathy, but in fact sympathy means to have feelings of pity or sorrow for someone's misfortunes.

The word empathy is used to describe a wide range of experiences but is generally defined as the ability to sense other's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what they might be thinking or feeling.  A certain amount of empathy can be learned.

Then what is an Empath?
There are subtle but marked differences between empathy in an everyday person and empathy in an Empath.  Empaths are highly sensitive people or HSPs, but actually very few HSPs are Empaths.  Empaths possess a markedly higher degree of sensitivity to another's emotions and feelings.  They take empathy to a whole new level.
An empath experiences another emotions as their own and it is not uncommon to therefore feel overwhelmed in crowded, public places.  An Empath doesn't consciously connect to others, then feel what he imagines the other person is feeling.  An Empath will literally feel it and unless he is trained to understand this, may not be able to separate his own  feelings from those around him.

There are of course varying degrees of sensitivity and even different types of Empath and although it seems to have both genetic and spiritual aspects, most Empaths do not learn about their gift until later in life.

How does an Empaths gift work?
Everything has an energetic vibration or frequency and Empaths are able to sense these vibrations and recognise the smallest changes which would otherwise go unnoticed.  Feelings, emotions and even words of expression hold an energetic pattern that emanates from each and every one of us.  In fact every living creature.  It's imprint is left on everything that we come into contact with.  It is this energy that is picked up by the Empath.

Are you an Empath?
Take this quiz to see if you are an Empath.  Answer yes or no to the following:

• Do you tend to just know stuff without being told? Do you have a knowing that goes beyond intuition or gut feelings?
• Do you find being in public places like shopping centres, supermarkets or theatres overwhelming?  Do you feel, mixed up emotionally or even physically in these sorts of places?
• Do you feel the emotions of those nearby and sometimes at greater distance?  Can you tell if someone in a room is angry, sad or excited without a word being said?
• Do you find that watching violence, cruelty or tragedy on tv becomes unbearable?
• Can you tell when someone is not being honest? Can you tell when they are saying one thing but feeling or thinking another?
• Are you extremely uncomfortable around some people without understanding why?
• Do you find that certain people drain your energy physically and you leave feeling tired or unwell?
• Do you find that some people become uncomfortable around you  and try to avoid you because you can "see right through them"?
• Do you pick up physical symptoms from others, particularly friends and family even when they are nowhere near you?
• Do you want everyone to be happy?
• Do you suffer unexplained digestive disorders and lower back problems?
• Do you always look out for the underdog?
• Do you find that you attract broken people and those that want to offload their problems onto you?
• Do you feel frequently drained of energy? Have you been diagnosed with ME or chronic fatigue?
• Do you think to much?
• Do you get irritated when there is too much to do and you don't know where to start?
• Do you enjoy the peace and tranquility when it is raining?
• Do you have an addictive personality?
• Are you drawn to healing, holistic therapies and all things metaphysical?
• Are you an artist, writer, singer, dancer, musician or designer?
• Do you love nature and animals? Do you love to be outdoors?
• Do you crave connection with rainforests, trees and waterfalls?
• Do you feel peace in the presence of the ocean or the moon?
• Do you have a tendency to always put others first?
• Do you rebuff compliments?
• Do you need periods of solitude to regroup?
• Do you get lost in the background on purpose?
• Did you grow up feeling misunderstood or more importantly "unheard"?
• Are you easily bored or distracted? Have you ever been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD?
• Do you find it impossible to do things that you don't enjoy? Do you feel like you are living a lie if you do?
• Do you hate to depend on anyone, yet everyone depends on you?
• Do you always strive for the truth?
• Do you descibe yourself as a free spirit?
• Do you hate clutter?
• Do you spend time daydreaming given the change?
• Do you find routines, rules or control by others debilitating, yet need your own routines to feel safe?
• Are you prone to carry excess weight without over eating?
• Are you an excellent listener?
• Are you uncomfortable with gossip or small talk?
• Can you "feel" the days of the week?
• Do you often choose not to buy second hand goods because they make you feel sad, or any other type of emotion?
• Can you sense the energy of food = particularly meat?
• Do you often appear aloof?
• Is your home a "sacred space"?
• Do people tell you that they feel better after talking to you or just by spending time with you?
• Do you find your emotions or physical sensations in your body changing extremely from one moment ot another when in a room full of people?
• Can you read people?
• Do you feel extremely responsible for the well being of the people around you? Do  you struggle with boundaries and find yourself tired of giving everyone everything and getting nothing back?
• Do you often feel icky , murky or unpleasant in the body, even with no medical condition to attribute these feelings to?  
• Do you have unexplained headaches, stomach aches and chest pains due to overwhelming negative home environment?
• Do you tend to feel what is outside of you more than what is inside?

If you can say yes to most or all of these, then there is more than a chance that you are an empath.  It occurs in less than 5% of the population  and with the right training can be a wonderful gift. Stay tuned to learn more over the coming months.