by Judy Dyer
They can’t participate in what they don’t enjoy. They feel as if they are not being truthful to themselves when they engage in activities that they don’t like. Many empaths are labeled as lazy because they refuse to take part in anything that they don’t agree with, and that happens to be the majority of things.
The need for isolation. They must get time alone, which is even true of empath children.
They have a love of animals and nature. Empaths enjoy life outdoors and being at one with nature. They typically have pets inside the home. They believe that plants and animals have feelings and emotions.
They are very much in touch with the supernatural realm and things like seeing ghosts and spirits are normal to them. They also seem to have access to information that scientists will spend years trying to attain. For example, empaths knew that the world was round when everyone else believed that it was flat.
They are always tired; because they are so exposed to other people's energy, they constantly feel drained and tired. This tiredness is so extreme that even sleep can’t relieve them. Empaths are often diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). They suffer from back problems and digestive disorders. The center of the abdomen is where the solar plexus chakra is located. Empaths feel the emotions of others in this area, which weakens it and can lead to irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers and lower back problems. The empath who doesn’t understand their gift will typically suffer from such physical problems. They catch illnesses quickly; an empath develops the physical symptoms of those around them. They often catch the flu, eye infections, and aches and pains in the body and joints. When they are close to someone, they often experience sympathy pains.
The empath is a sounding board. Everyone goes to the empath to unload their problems, which often end up as their own. They feel and take on others’ emotions. They can feel emotions of those close by, far away or both. The more experienced empath knows when someone is thinking badly about them.
They can detect lies. When someone is not telling the truth, the empath is aware, and when someone is thinking or feeling one way but saying something else, they know. They don’t need to listen to the tone of someone’s voice or analyze their facial expressions to know that they are lying; they have the ability to know instantly whether or not they are lying.
They find it difficult to watch any type of violence. Neither can they read about it in newspapers and magazines; as a result of this, empaths find it difficult to watch TV or read newspapers and magazines.
They are often overwhelmed in public places. Being in places like supermarkets, stadiums and shopping malls where there are a lot of people is difficult for the empath because of the amount of energy that is being released from the crowds. Their environment is arranged and managed to work around their sensitivities. Their schedule and commitments are arranged to avoid chaotic, unpleasant situations that are overly stimulating.
They have access to advanced knowledge. Empaths are tuned into knowledge; they know things without being told. This is not a gut feeling or intuition, their knowledge comes from a greater source of power. The more they are tuned into their gift, the stronger this gift becomes.
They are capable of influencing the moods of others. They are very charismatic and people are attracted to their energy. When they spend too much time around people, they start to speak and act like them.
They like to be around water; they enjoy the energy from oceans, rivers, and seas.
They have always been told that they are too emotional and sensitive. Their ability to pick up on feelings and cues is not normal to everyone else, but it is to them.
They have a low tolerance for pain; they find it difficult to get injections and feel ill when they have to deal with even the smallest of injuries. Doctors may even tell them that they complain too much.
They are very observant and extremely good at reading facial expressions and body language.
They are drawn to healing professions; empaths are often nurses, doctors or veterinarians. Empaths are drawn to become counselors, social workers, psychologists, animal communicators, teachers and caretakers.
Empaths are drawn to alternative and spiritual arts such as organic nutrition, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, holistic, energy and Reiki practices and psychic reading. They have an interest in the metaphysical such as prayer, meditation, yoga and positive affirmations.
They are non-conformists and choose to live outside of the constraints of society’s norm of a job—a family and 2.4 children. They enjoy traveling, adventure and freedom. Empaths are free spirits; they don’t like to remain stagnant. They don’t like rules, routine or control. An empath likes to have the freedom to do what they want to do when they want to do it. If they are unable to do so, they feel restricted and imprisoned.
Chapter 2: How to Embrace Your Gift
As you have read, being an empath is physically and emotionally exhausting, which can cause you to feel as if you don’t have a gift but a burden. Feeling this burden is the first step towards embracing your gift. You will now need to learn how to look after yourself so that you can embrace your gift without feeling exhausted. This is an extremely important process and you should invest time and effort into mastering the best techniques for effective coping mechanisms. Once you learn how to cope and function as an empath, you can use your gift to better yourself and your environment.
Due to the constant feelings of overwhelming emotions and stress, you must go to great lengths to eliminate the negative energy that you can attract. The techniques that you learn should become a part of your daily routine and will open your eyes to the true value of the gift that you have been blessed with.
Even though being an empath is not a disease or a curse, it is controversial and can cause you to feel so uncomfortable that you will try to suppress it. In alcoholics or narcotics anonymous their slogan is the first step to cure is to admit that you have a problem. The same applies to you as an empath; the first step towards embracing your gift is admitting that you are indeed an empath and that you are proud of it. Although this is a small step, it will make a great difference, as you will eliminate a lot of the stress associated with hiding your gift.
In order for you to feel relieved from the struggles of being an empath, it is essential that you get enough rest. The most effective method of doing so is to set a regular sleep-wake cycle and do what you can to ensure that you have a restful sleep throughout the night (see chapter 5). You should also take regular breaks throughout the day for relaxation and deep breathing exercises to rid yourself of some of the stress that has built up throughout the day. Such exercises will provide you with immediate relief (see chapter 7).
Take care that you do not place yourself in environments that are overly stimulating on a regular basis. It can be difficult to avoid them completely; however, you should endeavor to avoid them as much as you can. If you know that you are going to be in an overly stimulating environment, make sure that you prepare yourself emotionally and mentally beforehand. This will enable you to quickly rid yourself of any of the stress that you feel as a result of the energy that you are surrounded by.
Social media and the internet in general are extremely stimulating environments. It is advised that you often take a break from the energy that is emitted through the internet. You don’t have to be in the physical presence of someone to absorb their energy.
It is also advised that you have a regular routine in place for stress relief. What you do depends on what you find relaxing. You might enjoy reading motivational books, getting a massage, going to a spa, using aromatherapy or taking a warm bath.
Here Are Some Helpful Tips To Assist You In Fully Embracing Your Gift:
Appreciate And Honor Your State Of Consciousness
Empaths often feel pressure because they are different. Being different brings many challenges because the world expects you to conform to its norms and values. When you are misunderstood by others, it is easy to take their disapproval personal and
carry it as a burden. It is normal to be emphatic and a gift to be in tune with yourself physically and spiritually. I would go as far as saying that it is essential that you have this gift to survive because it puts you on high alert when danger is surrounding you or your family.
Identify The Difference Between Thought Consciousness And Emphatic Consciousness
You can observe the difference between day and night because you can see it. It is difficult to identify emphatic awareness because you can’t see it. It is something that is felt and experienced on the inside. Once you can identify this difference, you will begin to see your gift as a blessing instead of a curse. You attain self-knowledge when you know when the mind and its thoughts are dominating. Feelings and thoughts are different, and when you recognize these differences, you will feel liberated. This knowledge will give you the power to defend yourself against energetic tides instead of being pulled into them.
Trust In Your Intuition
The majority of empaths awakening to their gifts ignore their gut instincts. Don’t do this; your intuition is always correct. This does not mean that you should fully understand or embrace the feeling. You may not have complete knowledge of the situation, but the feeling is real and you should embrace the deeper communication that is happening within.
Chapter 3: Understanding Energy
Once an empath starts to embrace their gift and understand that they don’t have to carry other people’s energy around with them, a natural curiosity about energy sets in. Through your symptoms and experiences, you are aware of how powerfully energy can affect you in a negative way. If this is the case, it is also possible that energy can have a positive effect on you. Once you have learned how to deal with the stress of carrying energy, it then frees you to learn how you can use energy positively. Learning how energy works is an exciting adventure, and it can take you to places in life that you didn’t think existed. As you have read, many empaths become healers; these are the people who have learned how to embrace their gift because they understand how their energy can have a positive effect on others.
The first step in learning about energy is to understand how to ground yourself from different energy. This will help you to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the energy that you can feel. One of the most popular grounding techniques is through visualization. This is where you consciously imagine yourself being grounded; here are some steps to get you started:
Sit comfortably in a chair and position both of your feet firmly on the ground with your palms facing upwards. Don’t force yourself into a certain position; simply allow your body to relax into the chair. Imagine that a piercing white light is radiating from the sun and through your crown chakra and leaving the bottom of your spine and then into the earth’s center. Imagine that as your body is being filled with the white light, negative black energy is being released through your palms. When your entire body has been filled with the white light you will naturally relax knowing that you are now filled with positive and peaceful energy.
You should practice visualization on a regular basis as a strategy to keep you grounded to the earth underneath you, to release the negative energy that has attached itself to you and to enhance your empath gift.
Working confidently with energy will cause you to stop feeling as if you are out of control. It will enable you to protect yourself and heal yourself and the people who are placed in your path. Ultimately, it will give you the ability to control the energy that is directly affecting you.
There are many things that you can excel in when you learn to effectively handle energy, which is one of the reasons it is so attractive to many. It is your divine right to learn how to navigate this powerful terrain of energy so that you can use it in a way that benefits you and others.
Mediumistic Abilities
A medium uses their intuitive or psychic abilities to see into the past, present and future of an individual’s life by tuning into the spirit energy surrounding that person. Mediums are reliant upon the presence of a spiritual energy outside of themselves to gain accurate information about the person they are reading. In the work of mediumship, a connection is made with the dead to deliver messages to those who are alive. Information is received directly from the dead, angels and spirit guides. There are four main types of mediumship:
Clairsentience
You strongly sense the emotions and feelings of people, spirits, animals and places. You feel these emotions both in your heart and in your body; you also feel the presence of spirits. If you have clairsentient abilities:
You are very sensitive to your surroundings; you easily sense the vibe of a person or place.
You have unexplainable physical or emotional reactions when you go to places where there are large crowds.
Your emotions change suddenly when you are around people or when you arrive at a person’s home.
You know what people are feeling without them telling you; you can empathize with people easily.
You can feel the presence of spirits.
When people are in pain, you can feel it in your own body.
You use the words “I feel” when you are having conversations with others.
You can taste and smell things from the spirit world.
Claircognizance
Information comes to you spontaneously; you don’t doubt it and believe in your soul that it is 100 percent accurate. This information will either come in the form of figures and facts, or you just know the truth of a situation, a girlfriend/boyfriend or a career path. If you have claircognizant abilities:
You receive the answers to things and don’t understand how or where it came from.
You have very inspirational, creative and beneficial ideas.
Your mind is never still; you are always coming up with a new idea, especially when you are working on a project.
You automatically know when someone is telling the truth or not.
You tend to use the words “I know” when having conversations with others.
Clairvoyance
You see things as images in your mind or as a precognition in dreams before they manifest. If you have clairvoyant abilities:
You constantly have very vivid dreams.
Are very imaginative and spend a lot of time daydreaming.
Always speak in metaphors.
You can see shapes, colors, pictures or objects when you close your eyes to sleep or during meditation.
You see flashes of light, sparkly lights, or movements through the corners of your eyes.
You often use the words “I see” when you are talking to others.
Clairaudience
You hear messages either inside your mind or audibly. For the majority of people, these messages come in the form of telepathic communication, meaning that the spirits will have a conversation with you through your thoughts. You can have a conversation with the spirits and they will reply. If you have clairaudient traits:
You listen more than you talk.
You speak to plants and animals because you believe that they can communicate with you.
You often feel as if you are the recipient of telepathic information.
When you provide really helpful advice, you forget what you said straight away and wonder where you got such wise information.
You often hear buzzing or ringing in your ears. You experience the same sensation in your ears just before they pop on an airplane.
You use the words “I hear” when speaking to people.
Due to the intuitive nature of empaths, they are often drawn to mediumistic abilities. This is not a natural trait of an empath, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have the gift; it is in fact easier for an empath to develop this gift because of their sensitivity to the spirit world. If you feel that you are being drawn to this area and you decide that you want to develop this skill, it is not something that you should take lightly and is crucial that you find a good teacher. As you have now learned, empaths absorb all types of energy, whether positive or nega
tive, and if you get in contact with the wrong spirit, it will torment you.
Psychic Abilities
Empaths are capable of sensing things before they manifest; the psychic ability is strongly connected to your ability to “just know.” You will often have visions or premonitions about things prior to them happening. You can’t learn to have visions or premonitions, but you can train yourself to have them whenever you need to. This provides you with the wonderful and powerful ability to be able to predict future events. You may not have experienced any premonitions or visions yet, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t operate in that gift; it may be that you haven’t tapped into it yet. As you learn how to control this gift, you will find it easy and exciting to predict the future.
Energy Projection
One of the things that you may not be aware of as an empath is that you can send energy to people. When you do so you are giving that individual the particular sensation or vibe that you want them to experience. This is a skill that is used for remote healing, where empaths are capable of healing people when they are not even in their presence. Others use this as a way of praying for people and sending good energy and thoughts in the direction of another person to help them to get through a difficult time when they are unable to be there personally. Sending energy is not limited to empaths; everyone can do this if they put their mind to it. However, when empaths send energy the recipient is more likely to feel it because they have a powerful connection to the energy source.
