Empaths 101
Have you ever been told “you’re too sensitive” or “why do you care so much” or even, “why can’t you just let it go?”. Well, there’s a reason that your heart is a little on the mushy side — you’re probably an empath!
What is an Empath?
The term empath comes from the word, empathy. This means you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and feel how they feel — but it’s deeper than that.
As an empath, you can not only put yourself in their shoes, but another persons emotions can literally become your own. You have a unique ability to pick up energies, and you’ll probably often find that another persons energy will cling to you, whether you like it or not. You can connect to other people (or even animals) on a deeper level than “regular” people.
Every human should have a little empathy in them for other beings; that’s what makes us stand out from other creatures. However, there are different levels of empaths — think of it from 1 through 10. If you’re a higher level empath, you probably experience…
• Taking on other people’s emotions / their energy clings to you
• Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or emotional in crowds
• Being able to walk into a room and literally feel the vibe
• People come to you for advice all the time. Sometimes, even people you don’t know will start laying their problems on you.
• Your passion is to heal & help others, but you probably find yourself taking on too much
There are plenty of other signs of being an empath, but those are the ones that have always stuck out to me! I like to call being an empath a type of “gift.” You were put here with your big heart & healing spirit to help others — but sometimes, this “gift” can feel more like a burden, right?
Empath Protection
At this point in the blog you’ve probably been like “oh heck yeah, that sounds like me!” So it’s time to learn a couple easy tricks to protecting your energy as an empath.
It’s a beautiful thing to be able to help others and feel for them on a deep level. But it can be really draining and effect your mental health if you don’t do the right kind of protection.
First things first: crystals are your new best friend! Empaths should carry a black crystal (black tourmaline or onyx as examples) to ward off negative energy. You can get this in a piece of jewelry to wear each day, or just stick a crystal in your pocket (or bra, if you’re like me!). This will help you not get yucky energies stuck to you throughout the day. I even put black tourmaline crystals above major doorways in my home so anyone who enters can’t bring negativity along with them!
Another way to protect your energy requires a little bit of visualization. This is called shielding. Shielding is literally creating an energetic shield of light to surround you throughout the day, bouncing those energies right off of you! It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to feel anything or your empath nature will just “turn off,” but it will help avoid those clinging energies or even the anxiety you feel in a crowd.
To create your shield, I like to go somewhere quiet (even in the shower sometimes), and close my eyes. Take a deep breath, and start to envision a swirl of light starting from the ground around your feet. This light can be any color you choose — some days I choose green, others purple, etc. Just let it come naturally! As your light swirls up your body and around you, remind yourself that this is your shield today, and it will protect you from any energies that don’t serve you. Remember that you can always come back to this shield today, and if you feel yourself start to have a hard time, close your eyes for a quick second and visualize your shield again! Honestly you might feel silly the first time you do this, but the more intention you put toward it, the better the result. Also, you just raised energy, you little witch you! ;)
The last piece of protection advice I’ll give to you is, of courseee, sage! I’ve written blogs on how to use sage before, so go check those out when you’re done here. But seriously, sage and other herb bundles or incense are meant to clear the energy wherever you are. I sage my house once a week, sage my bed after weird dreams, etc. All empaths should have some sort of herb bundle to burn when they need to clear the energy! (Also, check out the tips for everyday magic blog when you’re done here — those things can help you, too).
Empaths are Healers
Remember when I asked if you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive”? Yeah, so, we’re never gonna take offense to that again, okay? You are a magical, healing soul who was given this “gift” as a tool. Think about it — a lot of therapists, nurses, your dog’s vet even, are probably empaths! Some people are just drawn to help others, in ways big or small.
So how can you make the most of being an empath? Well first, it starts with that protection we talked about — and a lot of self-care. If you can’t help yourself, how do you expect to help anyone else? It will take practice learning to let go of those clinging energies, but it’s important for your mental health. I still struggle with this often, and I find myself thinking about people I met at the grocery store or even the animal I saw the “lost” sign for all the time.
You might not feel like you have a purpose, but you truly do. Think about your passions — what do you love to do? Now, how can you help others through this?
For example, I always knew I had a passion for creating (hence the handmade business)! The deeper I got into my spirituality, I thought about how I can create things to help & heal others. So I started making candles with meaning behind them, essential oils, bath blends to unleash your Goddess energy, and I even offer my tarot readings as a service to help others, too. Everything I do fuels me, but it also helps & inspires others along the way, which is something I’m proud of.
Now I’m not saying you have to go start a business or anything, but think about how what you do on a day-to-day can impact others. How can you use your empath side to spread a little love & light everywhere you go?
But remember, it is not your responsibility to fix other people or their problems. Always make yourself & your energy the number 1 priority!
Other Empath Experiences
I don’t like to get too into labels or any of that, because I think it diminishes the true gifts inside of people when we stick them in a certain box. But since we’re on the subject of empaths, there’s something else I wanted to tell you about — clairsentience.
Literally meaning “clear feeling”, this term is like what I would say a level 9 or 10 empath could have. It’s the ability to feel the physical energies and emotional states of other people / creatures / things, even if it’s in the past or future.
Ever walk into a house and think um, something feels hella weird in here. You’re picking up on the home’s energy / vibe. The same can happen with objects when thrift shopping, or even meeting a person at Walmart and just knowing what they’ve been going through emotionally. You can probably even feel someone’s energy when they’re not near you. For example, ever have the urge to call a friend and then when you do, you find out it’s a really bad day for them and they’re so glad you called? That’s your intuition guiding you!
So being clairsentient is really similar to being an empath, but there is also an element of psychic ability that empaths don’t always have. Being able to feel all this past, present, or future energy can be used to help others, but makes protection & self-care even more important!
What Now?
I really hope through this blog you’ve learned more about yourself, and how to care for yourself as well! So now it’s time to embrace this unique gift you’ve been given and go into the world feeling confident & protected. Keep researching this subject and related subjects, because knowledge is the greatest key! I’m always learning, growing, and finding new ways to use my empath ability.
Go into the world and unleash your magic!
