Life As An Empath
Growing up I always felt that there was something wrong with me. Whenever any physical object became damaged or broken I would hurt and feel sad or angry and then judge myself thinking that perhaps I was societies idea of "nuts" or "crazy" so I mostly just kept to myslef. This is one of the main reasons I avoided sharing any of my material belongings; I always felt that others didn't respect items - not because they were mine or not because they were not thiers, but because they simply were a part of this Universe and deserved respect simply because they existed.
It wasn't until I started doing research into this oddness of myself in the past few years that I discovered I had very strong empathic qualities both emotional and physical. I was referred to an article by a dear friend that was created by Isabella Snow called The 7 Original Signs of Being An Empath, which led me to read more books and connect with more people. For any skeptics or anyone who is very logical and science based - which I happen to be as I do work in health care, but having these certain qualities about myself has taught me that NOT everything can be seen in order to be believed; although any scientific mind will agree that everything on the planet is made up of energy - molecules and atoms combined together to form that paticular object or life form, which means that if everything is made up of energy then all things in the Universe are connected. This was the explanation of why non-living objects being damaged bothered me so much, as I was always aware of the objects energy disruptions that had taken place.
Having Empathic abilities can be a struggle, empaths are often called "too sensitive", "over emotional", "cry babies" and all other negative names that are addressed to people who show emotions and allow themselves to be vulnerable. A lot of empaths are energy healers which means that they will "suck" destructive/negative energy from a person's aura/energy field which will help that person to feel better, they may feel lighter or happier or "refreshed" and not even know why. Empaths will struggle with emotional balance becasue a lot of times they will take on other peoples emotions and identify them or own other's emotions as their own and not understand why they are feeling a certain way which sends the empath on an emotional rollercoaster. It is so important for empaths to be surrounded with people who are kind, caring and gentle and very positive and full of joy.
For myself in paticular I do not socialize well and never have. Large crowds are overwhelming as everybody's energy attacks me and bombards me and I can't function. I am like a radio being asked to tune into 5000 radio stations at one time - that's how my body and brain feels I can not spontaneously last minute enter a bar or any event with a large crowd; in order to attend these sorts of functions I need a lot of notice and I have to prepare myself for such an outing. I get made fun of a lot due to a lot of people not understanding what I go through; if I attended one of these large functions on a whim I would act so out of character the person who brought me would probably never speak to me again or I would end up embarrassingly drunk in order to drown out the overwhelming feeling of everyone's energy - which brings back a memory of my 30th birthday and not a pleasant one. Also, asking me to meet more than 5 people at one time whom I have never met before is a serious challenge for me; asking me to meet new people 1 or 2 people at time helps me to stay balanced. This is a challenge when it comes to dating. I've never dated with the exception of 3 blind dates which were complete disasters - one involved a car accident and a neck brace for 4 weeks and another included the guy bringing his mother on the date. I've never been asked out on a date, or asked to be a date to a function with anyone ever and I am quite hard on myslef always feeling like there is something wrong with me - a trait of an empath, but maybe one day I will get my chance. Empaths will usually have very few close friends. For myself in paticular I DO NOT get close to just anybody and I barely let anyone new into my space otherwise it throws my emotional balance right off. Having an empath for a friend can be very rewarding; and anyone who has one will know how rewarding one is.
Steps to maintain a balance is to find a routine that allows you to relax and reach a space filled with nastalgia. I personally have a bunch of different routines and techniques that help me to be grounded including essential oils, uplifting music, incense, burning holy wood, meditation and speaking with a close friend. Nature is a HUGE player in maintaining my balance, I always feel refreshed and replenished after spending time outdoors. Each empath needs to find what works for them and make sure they take time each day to refuel their energy. Most importantly picking people to connect with who help you to feel happy and joyful is definitley a game changer in balance.
